Brink of Insanity
by HerHiddenSecret
Summary: The King of the Nether is a cruel and ruthless leader, known for his maniacal madness and insanity. When the Underwater Kingdom wishes for peace between their kingdoms, a bargain could change everything. Skydoesminecraft, Deadlox Skylox
1. Chapter 1

**This story is also up on Tumblr and DeviantArt. I am only posting this up on here because I like the organization FF offers.**

**Summary: The King of the Nether is a cruel and ruthless leader, known for his maniacal madness and insanity. When the Underwater Kingdom wishes for peace between their kingdoms, a bargain could change everything.**

**Pairing: SkyLox, LoxSky**

**Info: Sky is a human and is around 18 years old. He's the step son of the Underwater king and NOT the heir.**

**Deadlox is a demon, the king of the Nether, and is 21 in demon years; he's 210 human years old. Demons in this A!U stop aging at 25 demon years; 250 human years.**

**Yes, I know sky is like, 20 and Deadlox is around 18, but for the sake of this A!U I changed their ages, bare with me :)**

**WARNINGS: Mild abuse, insanity and cussing**

* * *

**Brink of Insanity Ch. 1**

A grin of complete and utter insanity lit up his face, his fierce red eyes swirling with mixed emotions as he banged his head against the wall behind him, letting out giggles as the sound of his head meeting the wall echoed throughout the room. The headphones he constantly wore muffled the sound, making the sound unique and almost addicting as he continued banging his head against the wall, his hands clenching and unclenching as he focused on nothing.

He was a cruel ruler, insane and unstable with no care for his subjects what so ever. He was a war mongrel and he was hated and despised by all. But, he was also feared and respected. He was a demon and cruelty ran in his blood.

As a child, merely five in demon years and fifty in human years, he had been attacked by his parent's and the kingdom's enemies. He'd been tortured, raped and abused until his parents finally sent guards to rescue him months later. To shape him up to be as cold-hearted as all royals should be.

Because of the torture in his younger years, he had come out with three large scars over the left side of his face; one from his temple to his jaw, one running from right underneath his left eye to just above his jawline and one from his hairline to his eyebrow. He had long whip scars across his back and chest and he had small scars running along his hips and thighs; scars ran down either of his arms. His hearing had become heightened far further than even a demon's natural heightened hearing, due to experiments being done to him, and he was forced to wear headphones for the rest of his life to slightly dull the noise around him. His mind had been corrupted completely and he had serious mental problems including insomnia and schizophrenia.

He'd killed his parents as a kid, already power hungry at the young age of ten; even though in human years he had been one hundred years old. The torture he had suffered and the fact that his parents had willingly let it happen to build up 'character' had slowly pushed him off the edge of sanity and into the pits of total and utter insanity. His blood thirsty parents had even encouraged him killing them, pride shining in their eyes even as their lives dimmed.

The bed underneath him, covered in only the finest silk sheets, creaked as he continued banging his head against the wall he was leaning on. His knees were pulled against his chest, his arms on either side of his body. His leathery black wings were folded close to his body, his equally leathery tail with its familiar spike at the end twitched beside him. A fang protruded from his lower lip as a slick tongue licked his lips; his laughter becoming broken as a knock resounded around his expensively furnished room, only the best for a King after all.

"Sir, the maid will be up soon to bathe and dress you for your meeting with the King from the Underwater Kingdom," the words were spoken softly from behind the door and soon faded away, the messenger from behind the door hurriedly left, not wanting to be so close to the King of the Underworld; he was known to be insane and bat shit crazy. The King was unpredictable and violent, the messenger didn't feel like dying just yet; he prayed the maid would still be alive later today.

He bowed his head, letting his dark colored hair completely shade his face from view as he bit down on his bottom lip, only stopping once his fangs broke the skin underneath, little droplets of blood dripping down his chin and onto his sleeping clothes.

The Underwater King? A meeting with 'The Squid'? How interesting. His hoarse laughter echoed throughout his empty chambers.

"Y-your M-majesty?" The feeble words were accompanied with an almost in audible knock. His elf like ears twitched at the sound; had he been mortal, the maid's word would've gone unheard. He flicked his black claws, eying the razor sharp edges with curiosity as the door slowly creaked open. His visible right eye glance at the quivering maid who had stepped inside as he slid off his bed with the grace of a predator stalking its prey.

"Here to bathe your King, aren't you? I bet you'd enjoy that, wouldn't you?" He cackled as he ripped his shirt off, displaying sculpted olive skin, his laughter growing as the maid firmly kept her eyes set on the ground as he slid out of his pants and boxers. He fingered his headphones thoughtfully, carefully taking them off and setting them on his bedside table. Running a clawed hand through his hair, he grinned wickedly, "Shall we?"

* * *

His claws easily cut her skin, like a knife cutting butter. She had begun whimpering the first time he had slapped her, for getting soap in his eyes, and had begun openly sobbing when he'd left welts from his claws across her face and chest.

He didn't care, she deserved the pain he brought her; they all did.

She helped him into his dress clothes, biting her lip to keep from crying. He didn't want her filthy tears on his clothes after all.

He was soon dressed in his finest dress pants and collared shirt, a leather cloak around his shoulders, holes in the back for his bat-like wings. A hole was on his pants for his tail to slip through. All that was left was his headphones and his hair.

"Get a drop of blood on my headphones and I'll rip your tongue tongue out," he threatened as he watched her trembling fingers pick up his precious headphones. She fumbled with the delicately crafted piece of technology, and carefully placed it on his head once she carefully brushed his bangs over the left side of his face; careful not to even stare at the scarred skin of the right side of his face.

Once ready, he eyed the shivering maid in front of him. She already had multiple bruises forming on her pale skin and multiple red welts from his claws had bloomed in the short period of time she had been in his presence. Her shirt was barely hanging into her frame and he sneered at her.

"Get out of here," he ordered, waving her off with narrowed eyes. She left hurriedly, not daring to glance back as he once again sat on his bed, adjusting his headphones as he once again leaned against the wall, eyes flashing at the thought of the meeting taking place in just a few hours.


	2. Chapter 2

The Squid King was an ugly being; in appearance and in personality. He was known for his rude and nasty attitude and he had a bad reputation for raping his servants and abusing any and all of his wives and their children. He was a hybrid; half squid and half human and could communicate with either species.

His skin was a sickly blue and covered with a light sheen of slime; his eyes were a dark gold. He had a long beard, tangled and utterly filthy with unknown substances. He was bald and overweight with a thick neck, gills protruding from thick rolls of fat. He wore over expensive clothes and his person was covered in jewels and other forms of riches. He was on his twelfth wife and already had over eighteen known children and probably over thirty unknown children. He was the type of man Deadlox hated more than even how he hated his own parents.

The Underwater Kingdom and the Underworld had been enemies for centuries but the two kingdoms had finally decided to form a peace treaty. Deadlox regretted even mentioning the thought of forming peace between the two kingdoms.

"Ah, if it isn't the King of the Underworld, took your time, didn't you?" The Squid taunted as he leaned back against a golden chair that he had brought himself. Deadlox paid him no mind as he took a chair on the other end of the long oak table, eying the amount of guards on either side of the Squid. He didn't respond to the Squid's taunt, something the other was clearly disappointed by.

"Let's get down to business. The Underworld is winning this war, it'd be in your best favor to end it before I allow my troops to swoop in and completely take over your kingdom," Deadlox stated in a bored tone as he ignored how the Squid's mouth dropped open.

"Who do you think you are?! My army would pulverize yours!" His yell did nothing to faze Deadlox as he lifted a single eyebrow at the King of the Underwater Kingdom.

"My army is almost thrice the size of yours. But, if you're so sure, I'll send the word for the attack now. I'll take over your kingdom before destroying you. A public execution would do nicely, don't you think?" He asked almost eagerly, claws rapping against the oak wood of the table as he licked his lips. Visible drops of sweat trailed down the Squid's face as he sat down on his now upturned chair.

"No, no! That's, that's not necessary. How about we work out a deal?" The Squid suggested as Deadlox flicked his elfen ears thoughtfully, listening to the Squid's proposition.

"How-how about I give you a few hundred pounds of gold and jewels?" The Squid tried to bargain, Deadlox frowning at him as he slid a dagger out from his pocket, fiddling with it thoughtfully, eying the Squid.

"I have enough riches, what else an you offer me?" Deadlox questioned lifting the dagger to press against his slick tongue, uncaring as the skin tore and blood dripped down the blade, the Squid watching the droplets fall onto the oak table with a loud gulp as he hurriedly tried to think of more to bargain with.

"A-a slave! I'll give you a servant from my kingdom to work for you!" The Squid offered, growing desperate as Deadlox just shook his head, his wings unfurling before furling once more.

"A royal! A royal of the Underwater Kingdom as a slave?!" The Squid tried, gesturing wildly as Deadlox paused. A royal? As a servant? Now, /that/ sounded appealing.

"Which royal?" Deadlox questioned, pulling the dagger away from his tongue, smacking his lips at the taste of blood on his lips and mouth.

"Any royal! As long is its not me, you can have any royal as your loyal servant! For…. For eternity!" The Squid bargained, delighted he had aught the more powerful king's interest.

"Give me your heir. Once I have your heir, I will call my army off," Deadlox said, blood red eyes flashing at the hesitance in the Squid's eyes, tightening his grip on the dagger thoughtfully.

"Yes, yes! Call off your army and my heir will be here later today," the Squid shouted out, finally giving in as Deadlox grinned.

"Send someone to fetch your heir. You won't be leaving until I have my new slave in my possession," the squeak of indignation went unheard as Deadlox leaned back against his chair, wondering what to expect from the Squid's heir. He'd probably end up killing the heir before the day was up.


	3. Chapter 3

He hadn't known what to expect from the Squid's heir. He'd expected an ugly snob, much like his father, with a horrible personality and a broody attitude.

He had by no means expected a hyperactive beauty. Yes, beauty. The thought of the Squid's heir being completely and utterly beautiful had never even crossed Deadlox's mind. But, here the heir was; messy brown hair, looking softer than silk with lightly tanned skin. He was short by demon standards though probably tall by human standards.

Most demons stood at 6ft and Deadlox himself stood at 6"4, probably reaching 5"8.

The supposed heir's eyes were obscured by a pair of dark sunglasses and a frown was set upon soft looking lips. He wore plain clothing; a black t-shirt and grey jeans with sneakers, something Deadlox had never seen on a royal.

He was skinny, lanky with not much muscle but with a large amount of hidden strength. Around his neck was a golden chain, a purple amethyst hanging from the chain and covering each of his hands were a pair of black leather gloves.

"There! Here's my heir, call your army off and let me leave!" The Squid demanded, ignoring how his own son glared heatedly at his person. Deadlox barely paid him any mind, waving the Squid and his guards away.

Once they had left, Deadlox slowly rose from his chair, eyes set on the younger male. He didn't seem at all like he was related to the Squid and Deadlox questioned if this man was even the heir. Truthfully, he couldn't care less. This, he sniffed the air questioningly, human was far more beautiful than the Squid's heir would ever be.

He took long strides to the smaller male, a predatory grin on his face at the way the younger male shrunk back but tried to cover it up with a brave facade.

"Are you the Squid's heir?" Deadlox questioned, voice deep and husky, amused in the shivers that visibly shook the shorter male.

"No. I'm the step son of his most recent wife. I'm not a disgusting squid, I'm human," Deadlox delighted in his blatant hatred of squids.

"That's good. You're far more beautiful than the Squid's heir," Deadox said offhandedly, running a hand through his hair as an evil grin slid its way into his face as a light blush found its way onto the shorter males face. The younger of the two stuttered for a second before looking away.

"You're stepfather sold you to me as a slave, you know that?" Deadlox questioned thoughtfully, hands held loosely behind his back as he circled his new slave. The younger's blush immediately disappeared as he gave a small nod, eyes firmly set on the floor.

Deadlox stepped in front of his new slave, a sly grin on his face as he placed a strong hand underneath the other's chin, forcing him to meet his gaze.

"What's your name?" Deadlox questioned, leaning down so that their noses almost brushed.

"Sky, my name is Sky," the newly named Sky whispered almost inaudibly, sealing his fate as Deadlox's eyes lit up.

"Most call me King, your Majesty, Sir. But, Sky, I'll have you call me Deadlox," he said wrapping an arm around the others waist, pulling him tight against his own person, eliciting a gasp from the shorter male as he continued, "say my name. Say it, I want to hear you say me name," Deadlox ordered, tightening his grip on the others chin, careful not to break skin with his claws.

"Deadlox…." The words were were barely above a whisper, soft and with a melodic tone to them, but, they did wonders to Deadlox. His mind shut down for a full minute as he registered the sound of Sky's voice saying his name in such a submissive way.

"Say it again," he demanded urgently, almost feverishly, his wings twitching from their furled position.

"Deadlox." His name was said fiercer this time, with a hint of defiance. Deadlox felt chill run up his spine, goosebumps spreading across his skin.

"Notch. I've known you for ten minutes and you already affect me so strongly," Deadlox muttered darkly, eyes lidded as he brushed his lips against the younger males, a deadly grin spreading across his face at the gasp he received with his motions.

He took full advantage of Sky's gasp as he pressed fully against the younger's lips, sneaking his tongue between parted lips.

The bite to his tongue both angered him and turned him on. He was shoved away, Sky furiously blushing as he panted fiercely, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand as he glared at Deadlox who had gone silent.

Blood trickled down the King's chin, dripping onto his dress shirt and onto the floor. His eyes were unreadable and he stood still as stone, his tongue stinging.

In a matter of seconds, Sky found himself pressed against the wall, large holes on either side of his face where Deadlox's fists had made contact. Sky quivered as he stared at Deadlox in front of him, his face was down with his hair falling in a curtain around his face.

"Don't. If-if you were anybody else," Deadlox paused, lifting his eyes and leaning in close to Sky, stopping so his hot breath was right against Sky's ear, "I'd've killed you."

Pulling away, Deadlox ignored how Sky slid down the wall in fear and instead focused on leaving the palace to vent, stopping a servant on his way out with more force than necessary, ordering her to bring Sky to his chambers.

Stepping outside and into his personal training ground, he ripped off his cloak, boots and shirt, ripping the ends of his dress pants as he let his wings unfurl. A growl left his throat as he ferociously slashed at the boulders in the room, turning them into dust in mere seconds, his claws being the main weapon to do this.

Huffing, he flapped his wings, flying high above the palace, barely registering when rain began pouring down in waves, soaking him instantly.

* * *

He blew off steam by flying laps around the kingdom until his wings ached and his throat burned from shouting above the wind in anger. He was wet and far colder than he ever remembered being before he headed back towards the palace.

He didn't even remember why he was so mad. He suppressed his anger so much the dam broke when Sky had openly defied him. He couldn't remember a time where he had been defied something he wanted, not since becoming King. He always got what he wanted, why was it that Sky was so hard to obtain? The one thing he wanted was the one thing that he couldn't seem to achieve.

Sweating and covered in scratches, Deadlox landed on his balcony, panting in exhaustion. His wings drooped, to tired to even furl them again as he felt the tips of his wings drag against the floor. He shivered, the rain still pouring down on him, his hair plaster to he forehead and he was grateful his headphones were waterproof and hasn't slipped off during his vent flight.

He trembled with each step and, at last, slumped forward before reaching the door, huffing angrily as he allowed himself to fall forward onto the stone ground. It was too cold and wet and he was too tired to deal with all this bullshit.


	4. Chapter 4

Sky stared at the spot the King had occupied less than a few seconds ago, shock overwhelming his system as he felt goosebumps race their way up along his skin. He ignored how he was still trembling in slight fear and tried to play it off by scoffing lightly and giving a fake laugh, even if no one was watching. It was more a failed act to try and recompose himself.

He bit his lip as he clutched onto the wall behind him, eyes slightly tearing up as he stared at the two gaping holes in the wall, holes where the King's, Deadlox's, fists had just been in. That could've been him. With that sick realization, he proceeded to throw up his lunch.

Heaving, he stumbled away from the mess he had created, pushing his sunglasses further up the bridge of his nose as he guided himself down the hall, using the walls as support as he almost tripped a few times, eyes blurry.

He hated his step-father. He always had. How, how his beautiful mother had even thought of marrying such an ugly creature was beyond him. A human marrying a squid? It was unheard of and Sky disapproved of the whole thing. Of course, the squid hated him just as much, preferring his own children over Sky. Truthfully, he didn't give two shits if the squid liked him or not, but to give him away to a psychopath prince as a bargaining chip?

He felt tears trail down his face as he bit his tongue. He clenched his leather clad hands tightly.

His mom had seen the guards drag him away. She'd been right there, watching as Sky struggled and pleaded. She had just watched him go and hadn't even bothered to help. Not even when told that Sky would be given away as a- as a slave of all things! She had just….. watched with an uncaring look to her eyes. She hadn't even said goodbye….. And that was what hurt Sky more than anything. She hadn't even bothered to say goodbye to her only child.

Sniffling, he wiped the tears off his face, clutching at the amethyst pendant on his golden necklace. He gripped the gold in his hand tightly, glaring daggers at the empty space in front of him. His father, his real father, had given him the necklace. A gift. His parting gift; a sorry gift. His father had left him and his mother to fend for themselves, leaving apology gifts in his wake. Gold. He'd left gold as a parting gift. Sky hadn't even liked gold then. He had hated the stupid golden sword left for him. He'd hated the golden chain with the amethyst pendant around his neck.

He'd hated it all.

Now? He gave a bitter chuckle. Sky loved gold. More than anything in the world. Why? It was the only thing he had left of his father. The last memory he had of a man with warm brown eyes, dark brown eyes and a perfect smile; an exact replica of his son.

"Are you okay?" Startled, Sky whirled around to face a demon a few inches taller than him. She blinked at him, watching as he swayed lightly in surprise. She had short black hair and dark green eyes. She was dressed in a black maid's uniform, bandages covering various parts of her body and her right cheek. She reached a clawed hand out, helping to steady him as Sky studied her closely. She had scars, old and new, over most of the visible skin on her body and she seemed to have a wary aura about her. Twisted horns stuck out of her forehead, a slick black tail curling around near her feet were what caught his attention. A demon.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm just- fine," Sky said, stepping away from her, dazed eyes glancin around the empty hall he had wandered into.

"Is there a reason you are in the palace, sir?" The maid questioned quietly, her hands folded in front of her as she spoke.

Sky gulped, "I'm a-a guest of the King's," Sky stammered out as the maid just blinked at him.

"Would the sir like me to guide him to his majesty's chambers?" The maid asked softly as Sky sighed, nodding in a defeated fashion. He might as well try and get on good terms with the King… his new master. Even if it did mean he'd get molested in the process, at least the King was good looking, he fought a furious blush at his thoughts. It wasn't like the chance of escaping was very high. And even if he did, he had no place to go.

The maid watched as he stumbled before wrapping one of his arms over her shoulders and helping down the hall.

It was quiet for a while before the maid spoke up. "You're his new slave, right? Rumors have been spreading all day. I pity you," the maid said, almost inaudibly as they walked quietly.

"Why?" Sky questioned, curious.

"He's not stable. He's dangerous and unpredictable. He's the one whose given me all the scars I have."

Sky tried his best not to faint right then and there as the nurse paused in front of two large oak doors. She immediately pulled away, leaving Sky to almost fall over in surprise as she adjusted her dress.

"His Majesty won't take kindly to my scent being all over you," she explained as she knocked on the doors, avoiding eye contact. Silence met her knocks and she hesitantly opened the doors, eyes darting about as she stepped into the room, motioning for Sky to follow.

The room was empty.

The maid looked around, sniffing the air as Sky watched her, walking a bit more steadily now with his emotions under control.

The maid walked over to the balcony, opening the curtains and giving Sky a good view of the pouring rain outside. Along with a dark figure passed out on the ground.

Sky tried his best to ignore he feel of guilt clawing at his insides as he and the demon maid rushed outside, picking up the soaking wet figure that was the King of the Nether and bringing him inside.


	5. Chapter 5

***Flashback***

_"Shut up, brat!"_

_He whimpered as the sting of the whip burned his back. Pain, pain, pain. He felt tears trailing down his face as he huddled into the corner he'd been forced into. Over three weeks. He'd been stuck with these people for three weeks. Three weeks without his father or mother. Three weeks of constant beatings and lashings. Three weeks of unbelievable torture._

_His clothes, made of the finest materials, hung in tatters on his bruised and battered body. Blood stained his face; they seemed to be fond of slashing at his face, aiming exactly for the left side of his face. Dirt smudged his hands and bare feet._

_"M-mommy?" He whimpered out pathetically, his tormentors laughing as one tugged at his short hair painfully._

_"Your parents ain't comin' fer ya, kid. They haven't even sent out a search party fer ya. That's how much they love ya," the older demon spat out, laughing in a gravelly voice as shivers crept up Deadlox's spine._

_"Tha-that's not true!" Deadlox shouted, squirming out of the man's grip, falling to the stone floor with a thud as the man just laughing, kicking the young demon in the side before leaving the small cell Deadlox had been forced to stay in._

_Weakly, he struggled to the corner, leaning heavily on the wall as he clenched his eyes shut._

_His mommy and daddy weren't looking for him? Didn't they love him? Did he do something wrong? Was this his punishment?_

_Didn't they see how much he loved them?_

_He's lying. His_ _mommy and Daddy loved him. They, they loved him. That's what parents did, they loved their children with all of their hearts. Parents were supposed to care and nurture and teach and protect their children. It- it was like a law! Nodding to himself to confirm these thoughts, he did his best to forget; forget what the man had said, forget the aches in his body, forget the stings in his wounds, forget how the salty tears streaming down his face caused his vision to be blurry. He did his best to forget; forget and stay hopeful._

_He clung to the thought of seeing his parents again, of feeling their love once more, of feeling safe and healthy. He clung to the hope of being rescued._

_He was rescued a year later. His parents never looked for him. His captors had set him free once he stopped screaming at the lashings given to him, once his dark red eyes dimmed with the innocence_ _of a child, once he no longer remembered how to cry._

***Flashback End***

Gasping for breath, he shot up, clutching his bare chest as wild eyes darted frantically around the room, breathing heavy and heart pounding. Feeling a hand on his shoulder, he panicked, his own clawed hand gripping a slightly tanner one in a harsh grip.

"Ow!"

Letting go of the bruising grip he had had on Sky's wrist, he tried to calm himself, turning away from light brown eyes shining with hurt and a wrist covered in pinpricks of blood.

He tightened his wings around himself, feeling small and helpless and he tried to reaffirm the thought that he was in his castle, not the place he had spent so many years of his childhood in.

He couldn't bring himself to speak and instead tried not to flinch as Sky placed his hand, although much more tentatively, on his shoulder. He fought against guilt as he saw the already forming bruise on the human's wrist, little droplets of blood dripping from the marks his claws had left.

"You okay?" He questioned hesitantly. Deadlox nodded before swiftly grabbing Sky's arm, pulling him onto his bed. He ignored how the younger boy yelped as he was jerked onto the bed.

"Y-yeah," he murmured, spooning Sky, face buried in the younger's untamed hair, arms wrapped around a smaller waist, tail flicking.

He knew Sky was uncomfortable with this position, knew the younger male would rather be in his own palace, far away from any demon, but, frankly, Deadlox couldn't bring himself to care.

Opening his eyes slowly, he found himself staring at the boy's slightly wounded wrist. Reaching out to gently grab his hand, he raised it to his face, feeling Sky's curious eyes on him as he stuck his tongue out, dragging the slick appendage over the marks his claws left. He felt his chest puff out in pride as Sky squeaked, squirming slightly as Deadlox let Sky's hand go, though he kept his arms firmly placed around the human's waist.

"Your Majesty."

Grumbling, he opened his right eye, glaring at a demon maid.

"What do you want?" He hissed out, keeping his voice down as Sky's gentle snores filled the room.

"Would you like me to set up a room for your new slave?" She questioned quietly. Deadlox frowned at her, anger rising as his tail whipped back in forth in agitation.

"Sky," he muttered darkly.

"Pardon?" the maid questioned, tone laced with confusion. Deadlox narrowed his eyes at her, if he weren't holding Sky in his arms, she'd already have been beaten to within an inch of her life.

"Sky, that's his name," he hissed out warningly as the maid flinched, nodding frantically as Deadlox forced himself to relax. Sky wouldn't appreciate blood staining the room when he woke up, right?

"Don't set up another room for him. He'll be staying here with me," Deadlox muttered, closing his eyes as a way to end the discussion.

"Yes, Sire."


	6. Chapter 6

He was warm, so warm; warm and safe. But, that wasn't right, was it? Ever since his mother had married the squid, forcing them to move into his mansion under the sea, Sky hadn't slept well.

So, why did he feel like he had just had the best night of his life? In the most non-dirty, non-innuendo inducing way, of course.

He kept his eyes closed, trying to access the situation. Why did he feel so safe, so warm? By the large amount of heat radiating next to him, he was most likely sleeping next to someone, but who?

He didn't remember bedding someone, so it definitely wasn't that…. Unless he'd managed to get drunk, but that was impossible seeing as he'd never had even a sip of alcohol in his eighteen years of life.

He felt his hands clenched around fabric and his head tucked underneath something, lips barely an inch from the source of heat.

Deciding to get it over with, he slowly opened his eyes, blinking to clear any and all bleariness from his vision. Holding back a yawn, he jerked away from the heat source as chuckles vibrated from the chest he had been snuggled against.

Wide eyed, he ignored the heat rising to his cheeks as he took in just what- or rather who- he had been snuggling against, rather comfortingly might he add.

Deadlox was laying on his side, chin resting on his hand, hair messy and eyes half lidded as he watched Sky with amusement dancing in his bright red orbs.

"Hmm, you sure looked comfortable," Deadlox murmured sleepily, running a hand through his hair before sitting up, the silk sheet pooling a round his waist as he stretched, Sky fighting himself not to look at the bear chest in front of him.

"If I had known it was you I was sleeping next to, I sure as hell wouldn't have looked even remotely comfortable," Sky snapped back, looking away as Deadlox only raised an eyebrow.

The demon leaned against his headboard, deciding not to comment further on the situation as his eyes darkened slightly, Sky watching on curiously.

The demon sniffed the air delicately, Sky watching on, eyebrows scrunched in confusion as the demon king's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"You smell," Deadlox whispered, not turning to look at Sky as the younger male blushes furiously in embarrassment.

"I do not!" Sky protested, the maid from last night having showed him the bathroom the night before. Of course he'd taken a shower!

"Not like that, you smell of demoness…" Deadlox continued, trailing off as he eyed Sky out of the corner of his narrowed eyes.

Something clicked in Sky's mind as he recalled the demon maid from last night.

"Oooh, there was a demon maid last night-" Sky was cut off as Deadlox practically pounced on him, straddling his waist as he leaned his face towards Sky's own.

"You're mine," he whispered darkly, fangs flashing as Sky gulped, feeling razor sharp claws graze his bare sides.

Sky stuttered, trying to find the words to answer Deadlox. Face red, he but his lip, eyes defiant.

"I'm no ones," Sky murmured, glaring at Deadlox. The demon only let out a low growl, chest vibrating as Sky shrunk back.

"Who touched you? You reek of her, I can barely smell you," Deadlox said, bringing his face to Sky's neck, sniffing at the skin there with a frown, ignoring how Sky desperately tried to push the larger male off of him.

Pulling back, a frown still marring his face, Sky looking away as Deadlox's red eyes bore holes down at him.

"I don't like the smell, at all," Deadlox complained in a rough voice as Sky tried to squirm out from beneath him.

"F-fine! Jeez, I'll just take a showe- what are you doing?!" Sky yelped as Deadlox repeated his previous action, running his tongue along Sky's neck with a dark grin.

"As I said before, I don't like her smell on you, I much prefer you smelling like me," Deadlox said, voice muffled as he grazed his fangs against the sensitive skin on the human male's neck, watching as goose bumps spread across the skin there, the action eliciting a gasp from Sky.

"Hm, a shower will still be necessary," Deadlox murmured against Sky's neck, chuckling as Sky sputtered in response, finally managing to push the demon away from him.

Deadlox let himself be pushed off, allowing the momentum to push him off the bed. He landed with a thud on the ground, a demented grin on his face as dots danced around his vision.

"Deadlox? You okay?" Said demon caught his bearings in time to see Sky peering over the side of the bed, worry shining in his hazel orbs. Deadlox gave a shrug, not minding the slight sting as he stood.

"The bathroom's over there," Deadlox murmured, running a hand through his hair with a lazy smile.

Thanking him, Sky scurried over to the bathroom, quickly shutting and locking the door behind him as Deadlox watched on with a fond smile.

Said smile quickly turned sly as he realized Sky didn't have an extra change of clothes.

Laying back onto his bed, he crossed his arms behind his head, staring at the ceiling as he excitedly waited for Sky to leave the bathroom.

He wondered if humans were anything like demons. Especially when it came to finding mates.

For demons, you mated for the rest of your almost eternal life.

But, humans didn't live that long.

Humans weren't as durable as demons.

What would become of a demon and a human mating? If even said human would agree.

He pushed these thoughts out of his head. Sky would just be a quick rut, he wasn't special. It wasn't like Sky would ever even agree to being Deadlox's mate, so why even bother pondering over such a silly idea.

Deadlox did his best to ignore how his heart clenched painfully.


	7. Chapter 7

Brink of Insanity 7

Sky slid down the door, hands covering his face as he blushed darkly.

"Notch, what is wrong with me?" He whispered to himself in disbelief, running a hand through his dark colored hair as he thought over the events that had taken place in Deadlox's bed room. For a moment there, he had actually 'liked' how Deadlox was licking his neck.

Shaking his head to rid himself of the mental image, he stood abruptly, shrugging off the shorts he had slept in, his shirt and accessories having been taken by the maid from last night, even his shoes. Luckily, he had been able to keep a hold of his necklace and his sunglasses, which he placed on the sink.

He paused, leaving his necklace around his neck as he looked around Deadlox's private bathroom.

It was beautifully decorated, as one would expect from something that belonged to a king, with polished walls and clean floors. The shower was off to the side, all four walls of glass slightly blurry with a large tub easily big enough to fit three people in off to the side.

Deciding to just hurry up and just take a quick shower, not to please Deadlox by washing off the demonesses scent or anything of course.

Cutting off his thoughts before they went any further, Sky turned on the water to the shower, shutting the glass door behind him as he stepped in.

Grabbing what he thought looked like shampoo, he scrubbed the clean smelling mixture into his hair, humming softly to himself as the water droplets hit his skin.

Rinsing his hair of the shampoo, he stilled, water continuing to fall over him.

The weight of his situation began to sink in as he bit his lip, his bangs plastering themselves to his forehead.

What now? What was he to do now?

He obviously wasn't wanted at home or rather, the squid's mansion. The small cabin he and his mother had lived in before his mother had remarried had already been sold long ago.

Where else was he to go? Was he to stay in the Nether for the rest of his life? Never to return to the Overworld? Was he to e the slave of the King of the Nether until his dying breath? Nothing but a, dare he say it, sex toy?

While he himself would never consent to being such a thing, the King was a demon, taller, stronger, far more powerful than Sky. How would he even be able to stop Deadlox?

It took a while before he realized tears were trailing down his face, mixing with the warm water from the shower.

It's not fair….

Once he had full control of his emotions, he stepped out of the shower, pausing to stare at the shorts he'd been wearing earlier, still in the same spot he had thrown them before.

Blinking as he realized he was faced with a new predicament, he grabbed a towel from a hook nearby and tightly wrapped it around his waist.

He had no clothes. What now?


	8. Chapter 8

Sky bit his lip, deciding to go for it as he hesitantly opened the bathroom door.

Sky looked around the seemingly empty bedroom before realizing Deadlox was still in his bed.

Moving forwards to ask him about what he should wear, seeing as he hasn't been allowed to take any luggage when the squid's soldiers had dragged him here, he stopped once he realized Deadlox had fallen asleep.

He openly stared at the sleeping demon, a growing blush on his face. Deadlox looked so…. Innocent when he was sleeping. The older demon was completely relaxed and without any stressed or tensed bone in his body. Unlike usually, he wasn't glancing over his soldier or glaring at seemingly nothing in suspicion; he was just sleeping, eyes closed and breathing even.

Shaking himself out of his stupor, Sky cleared his throat, not wanting a repeat of the previous instant where he had surprised the King so much he had dug his claws in Sky's wrist.

Seeing no change in the sleeping demon, Sky spoke hesitantly.

"Deadlox?" He said in as loud of a voice he could muster. He was rewarded when the demon's eyes fluttered open, taking in his surroundings before his eyes locked onto Sky.

"Well, this is a nice sight to wake up to," Deadlox murmured sleepily as Sky's blush darkened dramatically, arms crossing over his chest as he looked away, frowning.

Sky humphed in embarrassment. "Yeah, whatever. Look, I don't have an extra change of clothes, and I'm not about to walk around naked," Sky added in when he caught sight of Deadlox's contemplating look.

"Would my little Sky be alright with borrowing my clothes?" Deadlox teased as Sky just frowned.

"I belong to no one," Sky muttered under his breath as Deadlox slid of his bed, pausing to let his red eyes wander over Sky's still dropping wet form.

"You belong to no one but me," Deadlox responded, smirking when Sky didn't respond. Walking over to his large wardrobe, he quickly pulled out a pair of red boxers and a white shirt.

Handing them over to Sky, he grinned maniacally when Sky held the too big clothes up to his much smaller frame. The younger man just frowned.

"Fine," Sky said, walking away from Deadlox and back into the bathroom, the king's eyes trailing after him .

"You smell much better now, much more like Sky," Deadlox called out before Sky slammed the bathroom door in response.

* * *

Sky stood, silent as he stared intently at the clothes Deadloxx had given him to wear.

They were definitely a few sizes too big, he'd look like a kid playing dress up, an eighteen year old kid, but a kid nonetheless.

Sighing, he accepted his fate with slumped shoulders. Grabbing hold of the white shirt Deadlox had given him, he pulled it over hImself, sighing when the shirt collar hung off his right shoulder. Why did demons have to be so much taller and so much more physically fitter than humans?

Refusing to blush as he put on the red boxers- Deadlox's boxers, boxers he had probably worn and- shaking his head furiously, Sky quickly pulled the boxers on, groaning when they almost fell. He swiftly tied the side of the boxers into a small knot, hoping that would be enough to at least keep them on his hips.

Looking into the mirror, he bit his lip as he glared pitifully at his reflection. Huffing, he stomped to the bathroom door, opening it and stepping out, ignoring how he almost immediately had Deadlox's full attention.

A low whistle escaped from Deadlox as Sky blushed darkly, a furious glare set on the demon as the king only licked his fangs in response.

"Now, aren't you a sight for sore eyes?" The king teased, a chuckle escaping him as Sky just flipped him off.

"I'm sure you're hungry by now, humans have to eat everyday, right?" Deadlox questioned as he stepped towards Sky, wrapping an arm around the younger's shoulder and guiding him out of the room as Sky only stared at his supposed caretaker in disbelief.


	9. Chapter 9

Sky shook his head in disbelief. Was this guy serious?

"Of course humans have to eat everyday!" He yelled, worrying about his future health if he was to stay with this demon. "Don't demons?" Sky questioned, crossing his arms defensively over his chest as Deadlox just chuckled.

"Demons rarely ever ineed/i to eat," Deadlox explained slowly, as if speaking to a young child- which in all technicality Sky was considering how much younger he was to his demon caretaker.

Sky didn't respond, instead choosing to ignore the king as he let himself be led to wherever Deadlox had been leading them for the last few minutes. He tried to ignore the fact that the demon's arm still securely wrapped around his shoulders was oddly comforting.

"Where are you taking me anyways?" Sky finally questioned, his curiosity finally getting the better of him.

"To the dining room of course. I'll have the chef cook something up," Deadlox murmured as he maneuvered Sky into said room.

Sky did his best to not look awed by the grandeur of the place as Deadlox pulled out a chair for the human to sit in.

Huffing, Sky begrudgingly sat down in the chair offered as the demon took the seat across from his own.

Almost immediately, a demon dressed in a maid's outfit scurried over, eyes hesitant as she bowed to them.

"Would his highness like to eat?" She questioned out almost inaudibly.

"Of course I want to eat," Deadlox scoffed out with a sneer, eyes flashing as the maid barely held back a flinch. Sky bit his thumb, nervously glancing from the maid to the obviously irked king.

"What would his highness prefer to eat today?" She questioned gently, Deadlox directing his attention to Sky in response.

"What would you like to eat?" Deadlox questioned Sky, his tone softened significantly from when he had spoken just moments ago.

Sky bit his lip, looking away. This man- demon- scared him, though he refused to admit it aloud. Deadlox was obviously unstable and dangerous; he spoke in a rude manner to his maids and had bloodlust hidden in his deep red eyes.

"I'm fine with anything," Sky murmured quietly, refusing to look in the king's eyes as he played with the edge of the tablecloth to keep his hands busy.

Deadlox didn't say anything in response, waving away the maid with a dark look as he stared at the ceiling, biting his lip as silence reigned.

Sky almost didn't notice when blood began dripping down the king's lip, Deadlox's teeth breaking the skin of his lower lip.

"Hey, don't do that," Sky warned, voice firm as he frowned at the king's behavior, Deadlox merely raising an eyebrow in challenge as he clenched his teeth firmly around his bottom lip, the blood dripping down his lip steady and unwavering.

"Gah, you're hopeless," Sky said exasperatedly, shoulders slumped as Deadlox only chuckled, licking his lip as he stopped his self harming action.

"Whatever the princess wants," Deadlox mumbled, voice light and teasing as he wiped away the blood from his face nonchalantly.

The maid was silent as she placed their plates in front of them, their banter ceasing as they dug; the remainder of their time eating breakfast quiet and uneventful.

* * *

"Would you like to go outside?"

The question startled Sky from his stare contest with the ceiling as he immediately leapt to his feet in glee at the prospect of finally having something to do.

After breakfast, Deadlox had left him to his own devices to go do whatever kingly business that called for his immediate presence.

Least to say, Sky had been practically bored to death with the solemn aura of the castle as he lazily explored, eventually just giving up on finding a form of entertainment as he sat near a window. He'd spent the last half an hour going from staring at the floor to the ceiling in utter boredom.

He'd been caught off guard by Deadlox's sudden appearance and question.

"Yes, yes, yes, anything that will get me out of the stuffy castle!" Sky cheered, a grin on his face, though he quickly calmed down, blushing at his eagerness and the look of amusement that had settled on the king's face.

"I mean, sure, yeah, I don't care, whatever," humphing at his failure of playing off his enthusiasm, Sky nervously stared down at Deadlox's clothes he was borrowing, self conscious of walking outside in only the king's boxers and wife beater.

"Is it okay for me to go outside like, this?" Sky questioned, gesturing at the large clothes barely hanging onto his smaller frame. Deadlox just nodded, seemingly pleased as he eyed the human.

Shuffling under the king's scrub tuning, Sky gave a cough, "so…. We going or?"

Deadlox just shook his head at his eagerness before walking beside the human, wrapping an arm around Sky's shoulders as he maneuvered the flustered male down the hallways.

"It's different than the Overworld- or even the Underwater Kingdom," commented Sky, as he leaned over to get a better look at a breed of flower he had never seen. The twisted white petals had a smell of citrus, though it resembled a rose without thorns.

Deadlox just hummed, eyes straying to the red tinted sky above, soaking in the warm rays of the non-existent sun of the Nether.

"Have you never been to the Nether before this?" He questioned as he eyed the exited look in Sky's golden hazel eyes as he took in his surroundings with barely contained awe.

The boy blushed in embarrassment, rubbing the back of his neck as he shook his head no.

"It's not anything spectacular or anything," Deadlox murmured, eyeing the iron gates that surrounded his castles, a few demons passing by and peering at the duo inside; he shot them a glare and they were quickly on their way.

"It's more than spectacular!" Defended Sky as he tenderly stroked the flower's petals, the same one he had been scrutinizing for the past few minutes. Deadlox didn't find the flower anything special, but humans were weird and had just as weird concepts about just about everything so he let the human be.

"You like flowers?" Deadlox asked, peering at the flower, it was common in the Nether, he didn't see what was so special about it. He was kind of jealous that Sky was paying more attention to the flower than he was to Deadlox.

Sky didn't say anything, staying silent as he stared at the flower quietly. "No," he finally said, turning away from the flower he had been tenderly stroking mere seconds ago, "but, my mother does," he said, as if it explained his fascination with the flower.

Deadlox stayed quiet at the confession, merely following after Sky as the human began making his way back into the castle, not even casting a backwards glance at the little flower that had his rapt attention moments previous.

"I want to go inside," Sky murmured in a subdued manner as Deadlox nodded, moving to once again wrap a strong arm around Sky's shoulders, leathery tail twitching slightly in surprise when Sky leaned into his embrace.

Deadlox let a small smile flicker on his face as he led them inside.


	10. Chapter 10

There were no words shared between them as they entered the castle, a peaceful silence having fallen between the two. The king was lost in thought, pondering over the human's sudden change in behavior over such a small thing like a flower while the human was lost in his own thoughts, thoughts of a young woman who loved the beauty of nature and a young man who left her in tears.

Deadlox led them into his room, closing the door behind him as Sky absentmindedly sat on the edge of the demon's bed.

Curious, Deadlox took a seat on the floor next to Sky's legs. When it was clear Sky was deep in thought, Deadlox let himself sink deep in his own musings.

Why hadn't he had a panic attack today yet?

Deadlox had grown used to the daily occurrences of his insane riddled mind. He was used to his screams bubbling out of his mouth, the cackles echoing throughout the castle as his body twitched wildly without his consent; his mind would be drawn back to his early childhood and his fangs would clench so hard his gums would bleed.

He was used to it by now, but, since Sky arrived, Deadlox had yet to go into another one of his fits; it was confusing.

"Do you like flowers?" Deadlox murmured, repeating the same question he had asked outside. Sky looked down at him, torn from his thoughts by Deadlox's sudden question.

Sky hummed in reply, hand absentmindedly stroking through the demon's reddish hair.

"No," he answered, the same one worded answer he had said outside. Deadlox was slightly disappointed at this, though he leaned into the hand petting his hair, liking how Sky's long fingers combed through his long hair.

"But," Sky continued, tugging softly at the strands of hair in his hand as Deadlox waited for him to continue, "my mother does. She loves flowers. When we lived in the Overworld, she'd have a huge garden in front of our house filled with all different breeds of flowers. She'd make me help her garden and afterwards, we'd pick out a bouquet and bring it inside. She's place it on the table and then we'd eat some leftover cake."

Sky trailed off, lost in his childhood memories as Deadlox quietly stared at the floor. Was that how a normal childhood was? Without beatings and angry words? Without scars and tears? Without kidnappings and murder?

Deadlox buried the jealousy he felt deep in his chest. Why couldn't his parents have loved him? Why couldn't he have been a normal demon, or, better yet, a human? Why couldn't he have been happy? Why couldn't he have been isane/i?

"What about your father?" Deadlox nonchalantly inquired, fists clenching and unclenching as he ignored how his claws dug into his palm, blood dripping onto his floor. He held back a surprised flinch as Sky harshly tugged at his hair. The human didn't seem to notice Deadlox's flinch as be gently pet the demon's hair in an unsaid apology.

"He left. He left me and my mother, left me with only stupid gold. What good is gold when my family was broken? What good was that stupid sword and fucking necklace when my mother married that fucking squid? What good did it do when my mother just watched as the guards dragged me away to the Nether? Nothing."

Sky was glad he had his sunglasses on, the dark tint hiding his watering eyes from Deadlox's vision as the hand that wasn't patting Deadlox's hair clenched around his golden necklace, thumb rubbing the amethyst thoughtfully.

Deadlox didn't respond,resting his head against Sky's leg, closing his eyes as he enjoyed the sensation of Sky's gentle touch. He couldn't remember the last time someone had touched him in such a kind manner, in such a gentle manner.

It was such a bizarre concept. Why would someone be so nice to him? Touch him like this? Touch him and not regret it? And willingly as well?

Deadlox had literally killed thousands, killed his own parents; he'd abused more people than he could count and had mercilessly burned down villages; he'd practically torn Sky from the life he had and forced him into slavery.

So why was Sky being so nice? Shouldn't he be yelling at Deadlox? Demanding his freedom? At least trying to escape?

But no, instead, Sky was here, petting Deadlox's hair and sharing stories about his past. Should Deadlox share things about his own past? Was that what Sky was expecting, or?

"I didn't like my parents," Deadlox murmured, keeping his eyes firmly on Sky's leg, feeling the human pause in his ministrations, surprised that the king had begun speaking. "They hated me, did awful things to me. They would say such nasty things to me, calling me ugly and stupid and worthless; a waste of their time," he continued, gaze hardening slightly at the long buried memories.

"They had me kidnapped more than once, wanted me to become stronger. Stronger, heh," Deadlox let out a bitter chuckle, barely even noticing how Sky kept petting his hair, trying to comfort the demon, "the demons that kidnapped me, they'd starve me, lock me up in a cell in the darkness, they'd whip me, laugh at my pain, and you know what my parents did?"

Deadlox looked up, gazing at Sky's eyes, golden hazel hidden behind the tinted black sunglasses. "They did absolutely nothing. My captors let me go a year later, because I stopped screaming. I have so many scars from them. I had to kill my parents at age ten."

Silence reigned after Deadlox finished speaking. Was Sky disgusted with his story? Of how different they had been reared? Would he be horrified to see the scars on Deadlox's face? To see the whip marks on the demon's back? He'd already seen the small scars on his bare arms, but what about his legs? What about his mental scars? What would he think of Deadlox being unable to sleep most nights? Of the night terrors that attacked Deadlox every time he fell asleep? Of his insanity fits?

He paused, sniffing the air in curiosity as the scent of salt reached his sensitive nose. Was Sky….. Crying?

Turning his head upwards, realizing Sky had clenched his hand around Deadlox's hair, he watched as tears rolled out from underneath Sky's sunglasses, trailing down his face and hitting the floor.

Trying to keep from panicking at the sight of tears- hewascryingwhywashecryingshoulhebecryingwasitDeadl ox'sfaultofcourseitwasitwasalwayshisfault- Deadlox rose a clawed hand, gently wiping away the tears with a worried frown. Silently watching as Sky's hand left Deadlox's hair and instead wrapped around the clawed hand brushing away his tears.

"Don't cry, why're you crying? Did I say something wrong?" Deadlox questioned, curious as to the reason for such genuine tears to be falling from his human's face.

"That's so… Sad," was all Sky said, bringing Deadlox's hand to cup his face, Deadlox just watching quietly. Sky leaned into the demon's palm, not minding the claws as he silently leaned into Deadlox's touch.

They stayed silent from then on, seeking comfort that had once previously been though unneeded.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"You look tired," Deadlox pointed out quietly after Sky had broken the silence for the fourth time with a yawn. They were still in the same position they had been in hours before, with Deadlox leaning against Sky's leg, one of the human's hand clutching the larger demon's own while his other hand was buried deep in Deadlox's silk textured hair. They had barely moved at all, just basking in each others presence and seeking comfort in one another as time went on around them. For hours it had been just the two of them, seemingly in a bubble where it was just them and no one else, just Sky and Deadlox. But the magic had been broken when Deadlox's sensitive ears had picked up Sky's almost inaudible yawns.

The human shook his head, stifling another yawn as Deadlox reluctantly stood up, not having wanted the moment to end as soon as it had. Granted, it had been hours since they had first sat down, but it was barely any time at all to a demon such as Deadlox and he had wanted it to last forever. But, Deadlox never got what he wanted and as such, the moment ended and he was stretching as he eyed Sky quietly. Sky bit his lip, looking up at the demon with sleepy golden hazel eyes, a small pout on his face at the thought of going to sleep.

Sky was tired, practically exhausted, anyone would be considering what he'd had to deal with in the past two days. He'd been ripped out of his old life- not that he had ever liked living with that stupid squid and his many wives and children- and shoved into a new one. A new one that he was begrudgingly starting to get used to and, oddly enough, prefer to his old life and maybe even to when he still lived in the Overworld. Just days before he had been a free man and now he was nothing more than a slave to the king of the Nether, nothing but a play thing to a demon.

It wasn't that he was being treated badly- then again Sky had only been in Deadlox's care for two days so he couldn't be at all that sure that this peace wasn't just temporary- it was more so the fact that he would spend the rest of his life as a demon's slave. He'd be force to do whatever Deadlox wanted, and he wouldn't have a say in practically anything. Why would he? His fucking step father had signed his life away to a demon and he'd had no say.

Ignoring Deadlox's questioning look, Sky stared up into the deep red eyes of the demon king, finally admitting defeat when he began swaying in his seat. "I'm tired..." He admitted quietly, bringing his knees up to his chest sullenly. He wrapped his arms around his legs and rested his chin on his knees, holding back yet another yawn as he did his best to stay awake.

"Then lets get you into bed," Deadlox murmured in a tone that almost sounded... sweet to Sky. The demon gently untangled Sky's arms from his knees, lifting the younger man into his arms with more care than Sky thought a demon could posses. Too tired to protest the action, Sky clutched onto Deadlox's shirt, watching with half lidded eyes as the demon pulled away the covers of the bed before tucking Sky in the bed.

The human looked up at Deadlox silently as the demon made to move away from the bed. He reached a hand out, wrapping it around Deadlox's wrist to keep him from leaving. "Where are you going?" He asked quietly, voice slightly timid. Deadlox raised a brow, not at all expecting Sky to actually want to share a bed with him. Though Sky would deny it if ever asked. He gave Sky a reassuring smile, softly unlatching the fingers around his wrist.

"I'm just changing out of my day clothes," Deadlox answered, lifting Sky's hand to his lips, kissing his fingertips before moving away one more. He internally laughed at Sky's shocked face as he headed towards his large closet. Deadlox his his amusement as he threw his shirt over his head, not caring when it landed in a messy heap behind him.

"Wh-what are you doing?" Sky squeaked from the bed, sleep suddenly leaving him as he sat up in the bed. He clutched the sheets onto his chest, wide eyes staring at Deadlox, a blush threatening to overtake his face. Sky stared at Deadlox's bare torso as the demon turned to face him, gulping audibly as he took in the sight of rippling muscles. He sobered slightly at the large amount of scars decorating the demon, though he oddly found the faint pink marks against Deadlox's pale skin a turn on.

The demon raised an amused brow as he unbuckled his belt, not feeling embarrassed in the slightest as he practically felt Sky's eyes roaming over his body, pausing at his scars. He hid how insecure he felt when he felt Sky's eyes on the exposed scars on his chest and torso, forcing the insecurities down when he saw Sky's blush darken. "I'm just changing out of my day clothes," Deadlox responded, his tail flicking behind him as his pants dropped, leaving him in only his black boxers. Amusement shone in his blood red eyes, humor shimmering in their red depths as he sent Sky a wink, a fang poking out of his bottom lip as he smirked.

Sky squeaked in surprise, burying his head under the covers after realizing he had been staring at Deadlox's six pack and- admittedly- boxers far longer than was actually necessary. The demon chuckled in response to Sky's reaction, his laughter echoing throughout his bedroom; for once it wasn't a cackle filled with insanity but a soft laugh full of humor and a hint of happiness.

The tips of his furled wings twitched as he made his way to the bed, lifting the covers as he slunk in, restraining a large smile as he settled in, "Now, now, Sky, there's no need to hide," Deadlox teased, poking at the lump under the covers next to him, grinning when it squirmed away from his touch.

"I-I'm not hiding!" Sky shouted, tone indignant as he poked his head out of the covers, curly hair messy as he stuck his tongue out at the demon next to him in a childish manner.

"Ah ah ah," Deadlox tutted, shaking his finger in front of Sky's face, "I'd put that away if I were you," he murmured leaning in dangerously close to Sky's face, "lest you tempt me."

Sky yelped, shoving his tongue in his mouth as Deadlox pulled away, laughing in bemusement. Sky felt his ears heat up a he turned away, humphing as he forced his eyes closed. He barely even noticed when Deadlox said something in a language Sky couldn't comprehend, the lights immediately turning off.

"What are you doing?" Sky managed to hiss out, having been momentarily distracted as he tried to decipher what language Deadlox had been speaking in- he'd decided on some sort of demon tongue. He stayed silent, glaring beneath his closed eyelids as something akin to leather wrapped around his shoulders, refusing to open his eyes even then. He was trying to sleep dammit!

Deadlox didn't respond, sliding his arms around Sky's smaller waist, pulling the younger man flush against his chest. The demon ignored the squeak of protest coming from the human as he rested his chin on Sky's shoulder, spooning the younger of the two.

Finally opening his eyes, Sky blinked as he looked at the material now almost completely surrounding him, momentarily ignoring the arms around his waist. It was inky black in color, looking smooth to the touch and strangely warm. He reached a hand out, tentatively touching the material, unaware of how Deadlox tensed behind him.

It was smooth, undoubtably so, with what felt like long bones stretching out between soft leather. Sky trailed a finger to the end of it, holding back a gasp as it righted around him slightly.

"I wouldn't recommend for you to touch it," Deadlox murmured against Sky's ear, his voice two octaves lower as he shivered slightly.

"Why?" Sky questioned back softly, pausing in his ministrations.

"It's sensitive," Deadlox murmured, breath dancing along Sky's shoulder and neck, ghosting over his ear in a sweet caress. Sky didn't bother hiding the goosebumps dancing along his tan skin as he focused on the thing that was still wrapped around him.

"What is it?" He questioned, though he had a feeling he already knew what it was. His golden hazel eyes watched as it moved slightly, his shades having been placed on a small table near the bed.

"My wing," Deadlox whispered out breathily, feeling Sky's fingers graze over the over sensitive limb.

"Oh." Sky mumbled out, eyes becoming slightly lidded as he continued to feel the soft leathery texture. "It's nice..." He trailed off, eyes closing as he drifted off to sleep, hands clutching the hands wrapped around his waist for comfort.

Deadlox held in a breath, waiting to make sure Sky was completely asleep before groaning. He buried his face in Sky's neck, keeping still as Sky unconsciously snuggled closer to him.

How easily Sky had managed to break down all of Deadlox's barriers, how easily he had managed to become a part of the Deadlox's everyday life, how fast he was starting to worm his way into- what had previously been thought of as dead- Deadlox's heart.

Was this normal? To find yourself actually caring for someone you had met less than two days ago? To feel this close to something that had been meant to be nothing more than a plaything? To find yourself craving the touch of someone less this badly? To practically need to be near them?

Sky was- had been, was supposed be be- just a toy. How was it fair for him to become so important to Deadlox?

It wasn't fair at all because Sky was meant to temporary, he was supposed to be temporary, he was going to be just temporary. There was no denying it. After all, Sky was just human, and what did a human's short lifespan compare to Deadlox's everlasting life? For demons didn't, they were killed.

Why did it hurt so much? Why did his chest feel like it was constricting at the very thought of losing Sky?  
He gazed at his sleeping companion, reaffirming that he was still there, that he was still breathing and moving and that he was still alive. He took in how Sky's long lashes, for once not hidden behind those shades the human insisted on wearing, fluttered against his cheeks. How Sky's skin looked soft to the touch and completely otherworldly as the light from the moon streaming from a closed window danced across his flesh.

He paused.

Why did it feel like a cage of frantic birds were trying to escape from his chest? He felt light, as if he was flying, but he wasn't. He was still in the bed, arms wrapped around Sky and one of his wings curling around the tiny form next to him.

Was this what having a heart felt like?

He thought back to when Sky was touching his wings, how good it felt to have someone touching something Deadlox had never let anyone else touch. Wings, wings were important to demons in the Nether. They, along with tails and most other demon appendages, were some of the most sensitive appendages a demon had. Wins brought flight, something important in a place where seas where made out of lava and pigment openly roamed the streets. Without wings, a demon was nothing.

It was an unspoken rule that only the most intimate of partners- mates- allow each other to touch their wings.

Deadlox had never had his wings touched by another being before, had never even given permission. Not even in on elf his many kidnappings had his wings been in any way touched, not even criminals would dare touch another Demond's wings without permission. It was unheard of.

So why did Deadlox allow Sky, a human, to touch his wing without complaint? Why did he not stop Sky after the first initial touch? He hadn't stopped Sky after goosebumps had begun springing across Deadlox's pale skin, or when shivers began wracking his body. He hasn't stopped Sky when his face began flushing or when the room had begun feeling inexplicably warmer than he remembered it to be. He hasn't stopped Sky when his tail began spasming under the covers or when blood began rushing south.

Huffing, Deadlox buried his face in Sky's neck, breathing in the human's fresh scent, the scent that was so Sky. He buried any amount of pride he felt as he noticed his own scent was beginning to intermingle with Sky's own, though he found himself smirking against Sky's neck as his arms tightened around Sky's waist.

Deadlox did his best to ignore how warm Sky was, how his hands felt soft as they gripped onto his arms, how when his fingers had been grazing over his wings he had almost become quickly undone, how his heart sped up when being around Sky in general or how adorable Sky looked when he was sleeping. Oh yeah, and he did his best to ignore, and somewhat hide, his raging hard on as he did his best to fall asleep.

This human would be the death of him.


	12. Chapter 12

_Gosh this is late. I'm sorry everyone! Life decided to be a bitch and I only just finished this ^-^;_

_Hopefully I'll be forgiven by the end of this chapter ;)_

* * *

**Chapter 12**

The Squid king, ruler of the Underwater Kingdom, rubbed at the bridge of his nose, brow scrunching in irritation. Three weeks had passed since he had given Sky away to the king of the Nether. Over twenty one days had passed since then and still Lillian wouldn't spill. She refused to utter any sort of sentence that didn't involve the words 'give me back my son' or just plain screaming. Granted, she'd been screaming for help ever since he had kidnapped her and forced her to marry him, but at least back then he would threaten Sky's life and she would shut up.

Now though, without Sky here for Squid to threaten to harm, the blasted woman wouldn't stop her aggravating screams and shouts.

Squid didn't even want her alive any longer, he hasn't wanted her alive in the first place. If it wasn't for her fucking husband, he would have killed Lillian and her son the moment he had the chance. But no, Hunter had made sure his family would live. Even in his grave, Hunter still taunted Squid. It had always even a giant joke to that man. Never had he been serious, even when Squid had murdered him, the man never showed any form of concern. He had always been a carefree man, even with his fortune, and Squid loathed him for that.

Squid was a greedy man, fully intent on gathering all the riches this world had to offer. He'd sought after Hunter treasure for most of his life, the man had been rumored to have more than triple Squid's own fortune and that did not suit well with the greedy king.

He'd gone after Hunter, threatening and chasing after the man, the jewels and riches being what kept him going. But Hunter was smart, he moved to the countryside where no one knew his true identity and no one knew of his fortune. Squid couldn't find him for many years afterwards, though he searched endlessly.

Finding Hunter once more had been a tough job, one that took many years. It had almost become an impossible task had it not been for a tip Squid had received from one of his many spies. Apparently, Hunter had made a family of all things. His wife, a woman going by the name Lillian, had born him a child. A young lad going by the name of Sky.

As interesting as Squid had found this, he had immediately found a way to corner Hunter. The man had laughed right in his face, refusing to give Squid the whereabouts of his fortune. Of course, the king hasn't been happy at all. He had threatened Hunter's precious family and then, only then, did Hunter actually become serious. For the first time since Squid had known the man, Hunter had lost the ever present grin on his face. i'You wouldn't dare lay a finger on them,'/i he'd said, i'kill me, you'll still have a chance at finding my treasure. Kill them, and you'll never find the accursed thing you've spent so many years after.'/i

In a fit of rage Squid had brutally murdered Hunter, leaving him with only the clue that as long as Lillian and Sky were alive, he'd still have the chance to get the treasure.

Getting Lillian to marry him had been easy, he held Sky's life against her ad she readily agreed. Replacing her with a fake so Sky wouldn't be suspicious of her absence was easy as well. In fact, Sky hasn't seen his real mother since Squid had forced the woman to marry him. It had been rather amusing to hear how betrayed Sky had looked when he was being dragged away and his 'mother' had just stood there watching.

"Just tell me where the treasure is and I'll let you go." Squid grit out, eyes flashing as he glared at the chained woman in front of him. Fiery green eyes glared up at him, wild black hair framing the woman's face.

"Suck a dick," she whispered out, voice hoarse as Squid walked towards her. He lifted a hand, back handing the small woman, ignoring her sharp cry as he pulled her up by her hair.

"Listen here, bitch," he spit out, face dangerously close to Lillian's, "you're gonna tell me where Hunter hid his treasure." Lillian grinned wildly, surprising Squid as a low chuckle left her swollen lips.

"Or what? Gonna hurt my son? Like you always said you were?" She questioned, her voice high as she let out another laugh. Squid frowned, sweat beading his forehead as the woman slumped forward, the chains rattling as they kept her hung by her wrists, her ankles shackled to the floor. "That's not going to work anymore, you sold him away. You sold my son away, and now you have no leverage over me," she hissed, Squid tightening his grip on her hair, disgust written over his features.

"For all I know, he's dead by now. You cowardly sold him to the king, scared to fight a much stronger opponent," she continued, eyes half lidded as bitter laughs wracked her small frame.

"I'm not afraid of the king of the Nether," Squid denied, throwing her roughly against the wall, furious at the woman's insolence. "I sold your son to get rid of him, I had no use for your bastard son."

"Oh really?" Lillian whispered quietly, silence reigning afterwards, the candles in the dungeon room flickering as the Squid said nothing. "What if I told you he was the key to the treasure? That he's the only way for you to get your precious treasure?"

Throwing her away from him in rage, Squid stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him with a roar. He'd been so close! So close to that blasted treasure and he'd let the opportunity slip out of his hands!

He marched down the hallways of the dungeon, no destination in mind as blood pounded in his ears. How was he to get Sky back? Was the boy even alive by now? Squid couldn't care any less what happened to the boy, but if he was the key to the treasure, he would do whatever it took to get him back. As long as Squid finally had his hands on Hunter's treasure, Sky could rot in the Nether for all Squid cared.

He stopped, breathing heavy as he looked around. He'd wandered deep into his dungeons, to a place he hadn't been in for quite a while. Teeth flashing in a dangerous grin, Squid took in the scene in front of him.

He was in one of the lower parts of his dungeons, where the cells were far apart from each other and the air was damp. Cobwebs littered the walls and water trickled down cracks in the ceiling, moss grew sparsely throughout the floors and a cold draft caused Squid to shiver beneath all his glamorous robes. Most of the cells were empty in this particular corridor, all but two at the very end.

Walking forward, his steps echoing as he let out a low chuckle as he glanced between the two cells on either side of the corridor. "How are my favorite prisoners?" He taunted, eying said prisoners.

The two had their backs pressed against the bars of their cells, each had one arm sticking out between the iron bars, fingers straining as they attempted to touch the other. Shadows covered the entirety of both cells, the torch in Squid's hand the only illumination in the darkness the two prisoners lived in.

"Now, now, not even a hello?" Squid continued, rocking on the balls of his feet with a frown, silence meeting his question. "What if I were to say I had a deal for you? A way for you two to gain your freedom?" Squid his a laugh as they both straightened at his words, eyes glinting as they turned towards him.

"Not for both of you, I just need one of you to do me a favor, a small thing, and I'll set the both of you free."

The two prisoners glanced at each other, a silent conversation passing between the two of then as Squid tapped his foot impatiently.

"What's the deal?" One of the two men inquired, voice hoarse from misuse as the other shook his head rapidly, eyes practically pleading the other to refuse. Squid nodded, satisfied with the response.

"You'll be fetching someone for me, I need him back in my clutches desperately. You bring me him and I'll let you and your precious friend," Squid cackled at this part, knowing the twos relationship was far stronger, "free. That's all there is to it."

"Don't do it," the other man begged, voice barely above a whisper. "Don't do it, Jerome."

Jerome said nothing in response, nodding solemnly as Squid nodded. "Good, I'm glad you see it my way."

Taking out a set of keys, Squid walked to the other cell, Jerome watching with alarmed eyes as Squid unlocked the other man's cell. Gripping the frail boy by the back of his tattered shirt, Squid dragged the young man out of the cell.

"Let him go," Jerome warned, standing as he gripped his cell bars, Squid shaking his head in return.

"You do what I tell you to do and Mitch," Squid shook the man in question, ignoring how he was clawing at his hands as he stood in front of Jerome's cell, "won't get hurt. For now, I'll be keeping him in one of the rooms above. He'll be nice and safe until you return."

Squid watched, absolutely gleeful as Jerome's shoulders slumped in defeat.

* * *

"Deadlox, c'mon! I wanna see already!" Sky whined playfully, the demon's hands covering his eyes. He gripped Deadlox's wrists as the taller man gently guided him. "I hear birds, why're you taking me outside?" Sky questioned, eager to see the big surprise Deadlox had to show him. The demon had been guiding him for the better part of the last hour, taking him up long spiral stairs and twisting turns, Sky was beginning to grow impatient.

The two had grown closer since the first few days Sky had spent at the king's palace. Sky had accepted his new role and Deadlox had grown used to the other man's presence. Neither had had any nightmares since they had met the other and things were going smoothly. The palace staff were extremely pleased with the change in Deadlox's personality. The king had all but stopped in his tantrums and maniacal tendencies. Sky took up most of the king's time but the staff were just glad the king had stopped beating them. In fact, the king had grown almost... Gentle in attitude. As long as Sky was in the vicinity, Deadlox had become almost pleasant to be around. Screams no longer echoed throughout the palace and blood no longer needed to be washed out of the king's clothes or the walls of the palace. It was practically a miracle.

"Keep your eyes closed," Deadlox warned quietly, pulling his hands away from Sky's face. The king hid a grin at Sky's pout, instead turning Sky around to face him, wrapping his arms around the human's smaller frame. He couldn't help but feel rather pleased at the blush that spread across Sky's face. Readying himself for what was about to take place, Deadlox tucked Sky's head under his chin. He looked over at the edge of the tower Deadlox had brought them to. It was the tallest tower of his palace and the best spot for what the demon was planning on doing.

"D-Deadlox, w-what are you doing?" Sky questioned quietly, his hands gripping Deadlox's shirt, eyes obediently closed. The king hummed in answer, guiding the two of them to the very edge of the tower, the ground far below them.

"Surprise." Deadlox muttered, stepping off the ledge, wind tubing around them as Sky shrieked in shock. The human immediately began struggling, eyes wide as the ground rushed closer.

"Deadlox!" Sky screamed, completely frightened as he clenched his eyes shut once more, gripping the older demon closer than ever. The demon's only answer was a low chuckle as the king unfurled his wings, catching the two of them just as the ground came up to meet them. With a powerful push, Deadlox brought them back to the elevation they had been on just seconds before. Smirking down at Sky's shivering form, the demon lazily flapped his wings, flying higher up.

"You can open your eyes now," Deadlox murmured encouragingly, unwrapping one of his arms from around Sky a gently cupping his face. The human kept his eyes stubbornly closed, Deadlox chuckling at the action. "I'll let you go..." He threatened, laughing as Sky opened his eyes wide in alarm.

"You wouldn't," Sky accused, Deadlox grinning.

"Yeah, you're right, I wouldn't," Sky relaxed slightly at the demon's words, though his hands stayed gripped around Deadlox's shirt. "Look around," Deadlox suggested, his hand dropping from Sky's face to wrap around Sky's waist once more.

"We're in the clouds," Sky said, awe dancing across his features. His grip on Deadlox lessened, golden hazel eyes darting around, trying to take in everything at once. The sun had begun lowering, shades of red and shades of grey dancing across the dark colored clouds, the Nether's version of a sunset. "It's beautiful," Sky concluded, returning his gaze back to Deadlox, a happy smile on his face. The king nodded, a relived grin on his face.

They were silent for a moment, each studying the other in quiet contemplation. "Thank you," Sky murmured, brushing his lips along Deadlox's cheek. The king spluttered at the touch, face a dark red as he froze. "Don't stop flying!" Sky yelled, panic written over his features as they began dropping. Clearing his head, Deadlox flapped his wings, keeping them in the Sky, his heart pounding.

The king cleared his throat in embarrassment, "sorry." Sky just shook his head, amusement clear on his face as he laughed.


	13. Chapter 13

"You can't do this!"

Jerome clenched his eyes shut, feeling Mitch's fists weakly hitting his chest. Warm tears fell from the other's eyes and dampened the clean clothes one of the Squid's servants had forced upon the two. "You can't leave me..." Mitch whispered, falling to his knees, hands covering his face as weak sobs left him.

Jerome groaned, clawed hands gripping his hair as he fell to the ground by Mitch's side. He reached out, gently tilting the other man's chin upwards, his own golden eyes meeting dark brown. "Please don't go..." Mitch begged, hands clutching around Jerome's larger one.

Jerome stayed quiet, silent tears dripping down his face. "I'm doing this for you, please try to understand." Mitch just shook his head, wild bangs momentarily covering his eyes as he threw himself forward, face pressed against Jerome's chest. Jerome lay on the ground, holding the smaller man to his chest, not caring that the floor was cold against his thinly covered back.

He took the time to memorize everything he could of the other, for he had no clue as to how long this mission would take or if he would ever return to his precious Benja.

The younger man was frail, ribs jutting out of his sides and skin having a slightly sick look to it. His eyes were bloodshot and black bags surrounded the once carefree brown orbs. He seemed smaller and far more fragile than when they had first been taken by Squid. Mitch's spirit was beginning to break. After two long and painful years, the once strong and proud man was reduced to this.

Jerome wasn't too far off either, the living conditions they had been forced to endure through for so long had been inhumane. They'd barely had enough food to survive and Jerome had often forced Mitch to eat Jerome's own share. The younger man needed the nutrition far more than Jerome did. As a human, he was more delicate than Jerome was. After all, a Nether Bacca was made to survive.

Unlike the Baccas from the Overworld, Nether Baccas didn't have the fur Overworld Baccas did. There was no use for that much fur on a being that spent its life in a place where the rivers and lakes were made out of lava and fire was not a rare sight. Instead of being completely covered in fur like Overworld Baccas, Nether Bacca's only had the hair equivalent to a normal human male. Nether Baccas were also stronger and faster than their cousins. They were the demon version of the Overworld Baccas, often looked down upon for their different features. Nether Baccas had longer claws and sharper fangs, made to fight and endure. Overworld Baccas didn't much approve of fighting, being more of a peaceful breed than their ferocious cousins.

That was where differences stopped, however. Apart from being slightly larger than Overworld Baccas, Nether Baccas had the same structure as their more peaceful relatives. They both had a slight muzzle, with a tongue longer than a human's and a set of teeth similar to those of a bear. They both had the ability to easily climb trees and mountains and their sense of smell was the same as well; stronger than a wolf's nose. Both species had a small tail at the base of their spine and both were fiercely protective. They mated for life and the most loyal of creatures.

Jerome shook his head, shaking himself put of his thoughts. He tightened his grip on the smaller man, struggling to make out the words needed to be said. Instead, he easily pulled the two of them up into a sitting position, Mitch curled up in his lap, holding onto the fabric of the Bacca's shirt as if it were a lifeline. Jerome didn't say anything, instead raising a clawed hand up to brush away Mitch's tears, his touch surprisingly gentle. No words were spoken as Jerome ran his claws through Mitch's newly washed hair. The maid that had forced them into clean clothes had forced them to wash up as well. The whole ordeal hasn't gone too well when a group of maids had tried to separate the two to wash them. In the end, they were washed in the same room.

Jerome hummed softly, his chest vibrating as Mitch pressed the side of his face closer to the gentle thrumming. "Do you remember when we first met?" Jerome suddenly asked, looking down at the human on his lap, his tears slowly drying. Mitch didn't respond, instead looking up at the larger Bacca with watery brown eyes.

"At the Hunger Games?" Mitch murmured quietly, voice loud in the otherwise silent room. Jerome nodded, a small smile beginning to slip onto his face as Mitch sniffled.

"The Hunger Games was being held in the Nether, remember? It was your first time in the Nether, right?" Mitch nodded, eyes unfocused as he listened to Jerome's rough voice. "You were nervous, but you tried not to show it. You were the only human there, I was surprised a human ha the guts to join. Did you know you were the first human I'd ever seen?" Jerome's grin grew as Mitch giggled, eyes brightening.

"Was I really?" Mitch questioned, a smile growing on his face at the thought.

"Of course you were biggums. You were the most beautiful creature I'd ever layed my eyes upon." Jerome paused, amusement barely held in as Mitch blushed, swatting the Bacca's chest. "And when we faced each other after the games had started, I couldn't bring myself to hurt such a small creature, but you proved me wrong, didn't you?" Jerome poked Mitch's side playfully, the human snorting in response.

"I couldn't let myself be seen as weak, I forced you to fight me, and I ended up winning. We met up after the games were over and you practically forced me to go on a date with you. That's when I learned how much of a big softy you really are."

They laughed together, reminiscing on their lives together and just having a good time. It would be their last time together for quite a while and neither wanted it to end anytime soon. Good things always end up ending though, and soon, Squid's guards forced the two apart, leaving the human screaming and crying in the room. Jerome was dragged away, to Squid, heart heavy, already missing his younger mate.

"Who do you want me to bring?" Jerome asked gruffly, glaring at Squid, held back by two guards. If Jerome wanted to, he could've easily taken on the two thugs, but Mitch's life was on the line and all the Bacca could do for his beloved was obey Squid.

Squid grinned evilly, leaning back against his golden throne. He looked down at the beaten looking Bacca, a sneer on his face.

"You may not have known, but I recently re-wed," Squid began, Jerome watching, black eyes watching the Underwater King's every movement. "In agreement to a treaty with the King of the Nether, my step son was given to your King. I want him back, you'll be taking him from your King and returning him to me. Once I have him back, your precious mate will be returned to you as the freedom you both crave."

The Nether Bacca said nothing, giving a stiff nod before being hauled away. Betray his King? Jerome shivered at the thought. It was a known fact that the Nether King was ruthless, who knew if the Squid's step son was still alive. The Bacca half expected to return with a pile of bones, if even that. Why would the Squid want his step son back anyways? If he was given away as part of a treaty, shouldn't the Squid fear for a war to start over this?

Jerome shook his head in bitter amusement as he was shoved into a weapons and armory room. No, the Squid wasn't worrying over a war, he had no need, he was sending in one of the Nether King's own subjects after all. If caught, a Nether Bacca would leave no trace to Squid. The sneaky bastard had thought through this completely.

He grabbed a leather sash, strapping it over his chest diagonally. He adjusted slightly before grabbing a hold of a golden axe, strapping it onto his back with familiar ease. He frowned, grabbing a diamond sword as strapping it onto his belt. It wasn't his choice weapon, but against a purebred demon, Jerome would need all the weaponry he could get his hands on. He sighed, strapping some armor onto his forearms, foregoing the chest plates and other armor of the like.

Once set to go, he left the palace, pausing only once. His black gaze was set firmly on the palace he had been imprisoned in for so long, he was finally out of there, but Mitch was still in there. Turning away, with the last reminder that Mitch and his own freedom was on the line, he headed towards the nearest Nether portal.

Sky quietly stared out one of the many windows of Deadlox's castle. A small frown was set on his face, his golden hazel gaze set upon the red colored horizon. His legs were pulled up to his chest, back leaning against the wall as he twiddled his thumbs.

It had been so long since he had last been in the Overworld; since he'd last been out of the Nether. It's been so long since he'd last seen his mother, because even if she had watched him be dragged away, she was still his mother and Sky was obliged to love her. Shaking his head, his curly bangs falling over his eyes briefly, he jumped at a sudden voice behind him.

"Why are you frowning?" Deadlox asked, curiously sitting in front of Sky, head slightly tilted as he eyed the other male. Sky stared at him, blinking as he tried to recollect his thoughts before shrugging in response to Deadlox's question.

"C'mon, why are you sad? I could smell your misery from a few rooms over," Deadlox prodded, scrunching his nose up slightly as if the scent of Sky's sadness offended him greatly. Sky held back a small laugh at the face, before his features once more relaxed, becoming slightly distant once more.

"I just miss my home, you know?" Sky conceded, rubbing the back of his neck timidly as Deadlox watched. "Not in Squid's palace, but in my house. In the Overworld. It was a small cabin, not too big or too small. It was just right. I really liked it. I spent my whole life there, and I would've continued living there if my mother hasn't married Squid." He snorted, resting his chin on his knees with a sad frown. Deadlox bit his lip, for once making sure the skin didn't break. Sky disapproved of Deadlox bleeding and the demon like making his human happy and as such, had stopped most of his maniacal tendencies.

"You don't like it here?" Deadlox quietly asked, looking much like a pitiful puppy as his wings dropped in response. Sky shook his head quickly, waving the notion away with a small smile.

"No, no, no. I like it here... It's nice. I just miss my old life. Not even that, I kinda just miss my family. Being here isn't so bad though, I mean, I have you, don't I?" Sky said, mood brightening some as he beamed at Deadlox. The demon found himself unable of speech as his face heated up slightly.

Clearing his throat after a few minutes of silence, Deadlox nodded. He ignored Sky's questioning look as he ran a hand down his face, schooling his reddened features.

"Yeah, you have me."


	14. Chapter 14

Sometimes, Deadlox wondered if it was all worth it. Keeping Sky. He didn't know sometimes, he questioned his motives for even keeping the human alive. He couldn't understand why he was keeping Sky alive, why he was going through all this confusion and all these feelings he hadn't known of for this petty human.

Then, he would think about Sky's golden hazel eyes, always hidden behind dark shades or how beautifully tanned his skin was or how warm he was or how he kept Deadlox feeling sane. He's think about how Sky felt so natural to hold or how the smile on the human's face made his heart beat quicken or how even the slightest of touches made Deadlox's face heat up with a warmth he hadn't known for all his years of living.

He'd think about how Sky fit so perfectly against his own frame when they slept at night or how Sky absentmindedly stroked his wings when he was falling asleep or how he'd lean into Deadlox's touch. And when he thought of all this and plenty more, he'd feel weightless for a moment, so happy.

So maybe that was why Deadlox kept Sky around, because the human was the only being who actually made him feel sane, sane and unbelievably happy.

It was night, a peaceful night, something a bit unusual for the Nether but welcome all the same. The pigmen were quiet, the ghasts were off somewhere else and the demons were off doing who knows what. All the same, it was a rare night in the Nether.

Deadlox slipped into his bed -their bed- not really his anymore considering Sky slept in it every night. Sky was already tucked in, sleepily watching as the demon got comfortable under the sheets. Moonlight was the only light in the otherwise dark room, their breathing the only noise heard.

Deadlox turned onto his side, reaching an arm out to wrap an arm around Sky. It was an action he had done every night since the first night Sky had arrived and as always, the human curled up into the king's chest, face hidden in the crook of Deadlox's neck. As always, one of the demon's wings spread out over Sky's smaller frame, protectively curling over the smaller human.

It was silent and Deadlox allowed his mind to wander off.

At first, Sky's purpose had been a slave, probably a sex toy if it came down to it. That was all he was ever supposed to be, nothing more, nothing less. As time developed, Deadlox couldn't really see him as such, neither could any of the servants in his palace.

Sky himself was treated with as much respect, if not more, than Deadlox was by his servants. He may as well have been the king himself as far as anyone was concerned. He was treated as no slave, if anything, he was treated as if he were Deadlox's mate, a thought that greatly pleased the demon king. Though, he couldn't understand why. Why did that thought give him so much pride and joy?

It confused Deadlox, it really did. For he no longer wished Sky to be his slave, but he wanted Sky as his... (His what? His friend? His equal? ) What exactly did he want? Deadlox didn't know what he wanted, he didn't know if he deserved it. (Deserved what though?) Did he really deserve what he was so in denial about? Did he, a man -a demon- deserve something as pure and beautiful as Sky?

Was that it? Was that what he wanted? What he had wanted all along? Was it Sky? But... He had Sky, didn't he? What exactly did he want from Sky?! Did he want him as a mate? That was absurd, impossible.

Sky didn't see him in such a way, he didn't see Deadlox in the way... In the way Deadlox saw Sky. And Deadlox was going to have to accept that, that he couldn't have whatever he wanted -needed- he needed Sky more than anything if he was being honest with himself. But he wasn't being honest with himself, he never was, and e never planned to be. Know why? Because above all the things he had found that he wanted -needed- the most important... The most important thing Deadlox wanted was Sky's happiness.

Of course, this thought brought along the memory of the day before. He wanted Sky to be happy, yes. But, what if for Sky to be happy, he needed to be in the Overworld. Would Deadlox be able to let Sky go? To let him leave freely? Just like that?

Yes. Because Deadlox... Deadlox loved him that much. There. It was out there. At least in his thoughts, he admitted it. Ever since first laying eyes on him, Deadlox had been falling. Falling into a deep dark abyss, with no light in sight, drowning, drowning and falling, falling and he couldn't stop it if he wanted to.

He was snapped out of his hopeless thoughts by a shy arm being thrown around his torso. Eyes snapping open in surprise, Deadlox stared down at Sky, who was currently hiding his face in the demon's chest. Sky didn't even glance up as his palm opened against Deadlox's back, resting just below the king's wings.

Deadlox didn't protest at the touch, only looking down at Sky's tussled hair with a curious look to his dark red eyes. Sky's hand gently ran along Deadlox's back. The stiffness there slowly disappearing as Deadlox relaxed at the feel of Sky's tender touch. It was featherlight, soft fingertips tracing every marking, every scar and blemish on Deadlox's back, it was soothing, eyes lidded as he gave his trust completely to Sky, something he'd never seen himself doing, trusting a person so much it hurt.

He almost fell asleep, he was so relaxed, jolting awake when he felt Sky's hand touching the smooth and unscarred skin around the places where Deadlox's wings jutted out. The demon breathing in carefully, eyes focused on nothing as he tensed, wing tightening around Sky.

"There's no scars here..." Sky whispered out in awe, face still nuzzled into Deadlox's chest, the hand not clutched to his own chest curiously brushing the soft skin surrounding where Deadlox's wings started. "Why is that?"

Deadlox didn't know if he wanted to answer, he wasn't being forced to, why should he? Why should he ruin this precious thing he had started with Sky, no matter that it would never go further than this -whywouldSkyeverwanttobewithstupidbrokenDeadloxany ways?-. Why should he ruin it by telling Sky how important his wings really were? How much it meant that Deadlox always wrapped one wing around Sky when they slept, that Deadlox allowed Sky to touch how wings?

But he could never say no to Sky, Sky was Sky as Sky was special. As such, Deadlox sighed, tightening his grip around Sky as he hefted him up high enough to bury his face in the crook of Sky's neck.

"Not even my kidnappers would dare touch my wings, or anywhere near them," Deadlox muttered quietly, eyes clenched shut.

"Why?" Sky mumbled out, not understanding, not knowing the customs of demons.

"Wings are special..." Deadlox continued, flicking the tip of the wing around Sky to emphasize. He ignored how the human froze slightly, his hand touching the base of one of Deadlox's wings. "No one ever touches another demon's wings, not unless..." Deadlox trailed off, fighting back a broken whimper as he pulled Sky closer to him, taking comfort in the smaller form.

"Unless what?" Sky asked, almost afraid to learn the answer, frozen with his fingertips just touching Deadlox's wing.

"Unless they're mates, even parents try not to touch their children's wings. It just isn't done," Deadlox finished, steeling himself as his usual demeaned slowly returned, the scared puppy he had been acting like gone. His eyes opened slowly, more himself though he was still panicking on the inside.

"M-mates?" Sky squeaked out, immediately retracting his roaming hand back to his chest. "O-oh, I'm sorry for touching you w-wing, didn't know..." Sky tried to apologize, momentarily forgetting the wing still holding tight around his frame. He almost panicked when he realized just what the familiar weight around him was, trying to struggle away with a light blush dusting his alarmed features.

Deadlox tried not to laugh, really tried, though he did anyways, because Sky was so fucking innocent and naive and how dare Deadlox even try to touch him with his filthy and tainted hands. He let Sky go, moving off of the bed as he continued laughing, the low chuckle turning into a dark laugh, the sound echoing around the room. Sky curled against the headboard, not sure what was going on, though he was worried for Deadlox, even if the demon was starting to scare him.

"D-Deadlox?" Sky managed out, flinching when Deadlox turned towards him. He immediately regretted the action when Deadlox stopped laughing immediately, eyes guilty and somewhat darker than Sky had grown used to.

"Yeah?" Deadlox mumbled back, eyes on his hands, avoiding Sky's eyes as he bit his lip. He paused only when he remembered how Sky didn't like when he hurt himself.

"A-About the wings, did that- did that mean something?" Sky asked tentatively, worried and slightly hurt when Deadlox winced as if physically struck by Sky's words.

Deadlox breathed in deeply, turning away from Sky as he stood. He didn't say anything as he marched to the balcony, wings unfurling as he jumped off not a second later, leaving Sky to his own matters. Sky probably didn't to see Deadlox's crazed eyes or bleeding lip. He probably didn't want to hear how Deadlox wanted Sky touching his wings to mean something, probably didn't want to hear Deadlox's pathetic plead to stay with him, to love him.

It was pointless staying when Deadlox was so close to having a breakdown. So, he ran, flew, away from his problems. It's all he bed seemed to have done throughout his life anyways, avoiding problems.

Sky tried to calm his rapid beating heart. He tried to ignore the hope that had grown in his chest at the possibility, the slight chance that Deadlox might actually think of him the way Sky thought of him. He tried to ignore how his eyes burned at Deadlox leaving, probably not wanting to see the pathetic hope in Sky's eyes. How could he have even thought that Deadlox would want someone like Sky? He was human for Notch's sake, a measly human. What would a demon king want with someone like Sky? Sky, whose father had left him and his mother at an early age, leaving him a golden sword and stupid chain and amulet in return, only to be found dead days later. Sky, whose own mother had decided he wasn't even worth trying to keep. Sky, who had fallen head over heels for a demon who he didn't even deserve.

What a fucked up life he had.

So caught up in his thoughts, tears streaming steadily down his face, he didn't notice a shadow making its way towards him from the open balcony. He didn't notice the glint of the moonlight against claws or the quiet steps of something used to being quiet.

Not until it was too late, not until a heavy hand threw him off the bed, eliciting a cry of pain. Not until his golden hazel eyes briefly met black eyes as his hair was painfully gripped as his head was lifted off the hard floor. Not until he caught sight of an apologetic frown before the back of his head was slammed into the ground.

Darkness surrounded him immediately and all he could think about was if Deadlox was okay. Sky may not have cared what would happen to him, but he wouldn't live with himself if Deadlox managed to get hurt. Deadlox had had enough pain to last a million life times and he didn't need to get hurt because of Sky's stupidity at not noticing a threat. Too busy choking down tears of rejection, just how stupid was he?

Deadlox would never want him as anything more than a slave and he would have to accept that. If he lived long enough to accept it, for all he knew he could already be dead.

He regretted flying off the minute his feet had left the edge of the balcony banister. Probably even before that. But he couldn't handle looking at Sky and seeing the disgust that would surely be there. He wouldn't be able to hold it all in. He'd break.

Deadlox wouldn't blame Sky though. Sky was perfect. Fucking beautiful he was. Bronzed skin with light freckles, hazel eyes so light they were golden, lean body, unmarked skin and a personality and smile that would leave any demon head over heels for the kid.

Compare that to Deadlox, there was no way the demon had a snowflake's chance in the Nether. Ugly Deadlox, that's what he was. Over six feet tall, extremely pale skin and disgusting dark red eyes and slit pupils. He had stupid claws and stupid fangs and he was abnormally strong no matter how slim he was and what would Sky ever see in a damaged thing like Deadlox? A demon with more scars, both physically and mentally, than on most people. A demon whose sanity wasn't in check and one who had breakdowns on a normal basis. What would someone like him have to offer to someone like Sky?

Nothing, that's what.

After an hour of flying around, lost in his degrading thoughts, Deadlox returned to his bedroom, ready to apologize to Sky and ready to bring him to the Overworld. Sky missed the Overworld, he deserved being around his own kind, and no matter how much it hurt, Deadlox would let Sky go.

He hasn't expected seeing a small pool of blood on his floor and Sky no where to be seen, not even the smallest trace of a scent leaving an indication as to where Sky could be. The only scent was small, barely there and hidden well. The scent of a Nether Bacca.


	15. Chapter 15

_Who's been excitedly waiting for this update? I know I have! Sorry for this uber late update. Jesus, school sucks balls. I started on Thursday and I've been busy working on homework that should've been done over the summer, but I've only just started working on today. Screw life, I have until Tuesday. I managed to finish typing this up, been working on it for the last two hours, it is now past three in the morning and I'm contemplating joining Deadlox and committing homicide. Enjoy~ _

* * *

Jerome did his best not to feel guilty. He really did. After all, he wasn't doing any of this willingly, he would've never gone through with this if his mate's life hadn't been on the line. As loyal as he was, or had been before this incident, to his king, his mate was at the top of his priorities list. If kidnapping the king's slave and handing him over to Squid would grant him and Mitch's freedom, he'd do it. Hell, he'd do it a million times over if it meant his precious mate would finally be out of that filthy dungeon, finally be well fed and finally be taken care of.

Even by knowing that doing this task for Squid would set him and Mitch free, Jerome couldn't help the voice in his head telling him this was wrong. That it was wrong to steal the slave from the king, that it was wrong to follow Squid's order, that it was wrong to trust Squid in the first place. The Squid wasn't trustworthy, never had been and never would be, but Jerome was grasping at straws. If Squid backed out on his end of the deal, the most Jerome could wish for was the return of his stepson would at least distract Squid enough for Jerome to find Mitch and escape. He needed to get him and Mitch out of that rotting prison, even if stealing this slave would only buy them the slightest of chances of freedom.

If he were to be completely honest with himself, Jerome wished the king had beaten Squid's stepson bloody. He wished the slave had been malnourished and barely alive. He wish the boy had been covered in cuts and bruises and practically begging for death if it meant he escaped from the king's grasp. He wished the slave had been dehydrated and nothing more than a bag of bones. At least then, Jerome wouldn't be feeling as guilty as he was at kidnapping the young man. Poor kid couldn't be more than seventeen, perhaps eighteen at most, younger than when Jerome had made Mitch his mate. Mitch had at least been twenty when Jerome began sharing his life span with him; when Mitch became Jerome's mate, but this boy was just that, a boy, barely a man.

The thing was, this boy hasn't been mistreated. He hasn't been bloody, he hasn't been missing any limbs and he hasn't even had the slightest of scratches of bruises on his body. The boy was perfectly healthy, and seemed more than well taken care of. For Notch's sake, the kid had been in the king's bed chamber, resting on the king's bed as if he were meant to be there. Sure, the king had been no where in sight when Jerome had snuck in, he's made sure of this before sneaking in and grabbing the boy, but the kid had looked comfortable and relaxed, if not slightly worried. At what Jerome did not care to know, though he guessed it was most likely due to the king's absence. Which didn't exactly make much sense. It was well known that the king had long since lost his marbles, he was a downright nut case and every single resident in the Nether knew that. The king would've been overthrown decades ago if not for his higher than average fighting skills along with his genius military plans. Since the king had taken up the thrown, the Nether had grown in prosperity and wealth. With the king's lead, the Nether armies had pillaged, pirated and conquered villages and many kingdoms in the Overworld and even a few in the Aether, something that had been considered impossible before the king's reign.

Jerome sighed, adjusting the kid's body which he had thrown over his shoulder. The human was knocked out cold, a bit of blood matting his previously immaculate hair. The kid wasn't hurt too bad, nothing serious or permanent. Just a scratch, a bump and probably a head ache later on when he awoke, and that was all caused by Jerome. From what the bacca could make out, the king hadn't laid a claw on the young human. Physically he seemed fine, but perhaps the king had mentally abused the kid? Perhaps even sexually and the proof was hidden beneath the red boxers and white t-shirt the kid was wearing. Though, the clothes the kid was wearing were suspiciously big for him, much better suited with someone whose body structure was similar to the king's.

Jerome violently shook his head, his hair, long scrappy hair he kept in a low ponytail, messy strands of hair framing his face, momentarily covering his eyes before he brushed it away. Thinking things like that did not help the guilt slowly growing inside of him. He gripped the back of the human's knees a bit tighter, reassuring himself that the kid was still there and still knocked out. Without this human, Mitch would stay in Squid's prison and, with Mitch sharing Jerome's life span, most likely for eternity. Unless Jerome decided to kick the bucket anytime soon, though the bacca would do everything in its power to keep that from happening and potentially leaving his smaller mate to fend for himself in Squid's clutches with his life span returned to that of a humans.

Since leaving the castle -after doing his best to mask any evidence of his presence of course- he'd taken off in a sprint to the portal he had used to get the Nether in the first place. He hadn't stopped to look back, the thought of possibly returning the kid and finding a different way to save Mitch not even crossing his mind. He wasn't all that worried about being followed, he'd made sure to cloak most of his scent with a potion he'd managed to mug a villager for when he had first entered the Nether. He wasn't stupid enough to go in the king's palace without the potion. Even so, the potion only worked for lower class demons. The king would still smell him, faintly, but he'd at least recognize the scent of a Nether bacca, and Jerome didn't doubt that the king would eventually find him. Hopefully, by the time the king found Jerome's scent, the bacca would have reached Squid's kingdom and grabbed Mitch before the king completely destroyed Squid's precious kingdom. That was the plan at least. There were so many flaws in Jerome's quickly thought up plan, so many things could go horrendously wrong. The king could find Jerome's scent quicker than expected and intercept the bacca on his way to the Underwater kingdom, Squid could have Jerome killed once he had his stepson, he might not be able to find Mitch in time to escape the kingdom once the king found out where his slave was, Mitch could already be dead for all Jerome knew.

At the very thought Jerome's breathing quickened as his eyes flashed. The Squid better hope Mitch was perfectly fine when Jerome arrived. He ignored the fact that through the mate bond he would be able to feel if anyone dared harm Mitch as he flexed his claws. If so much as a hair on Mitch's hair had been touched, Jerome would murder Squid, even at the cost of his own life. No one would touch his mate, no one would harm his mate, if they did, they'd have a pissed off Nether bacca on their hands.

Reaching the portal, Jerome paused. Was this really a good idea? He shook his head sadly in response to his own question, elf like ears twitching slightly in sadness and disappointment at himself as he stepped through the portal.

* * *

"**I'll kill him**"

Deadlox's words were loud, serious and held a promise to them. He could feel his breathing quicken as he stared at his now empty room. His fists clenched, claws digging into his skin, drawing blood as his lip curled in anger. His wings unfurled, furling once more as his agitation increased. The scent of Sky, blood and Nether bacca filled his chambers, teasing him, taunting him. He hadn't been there, he hadn't been there for Sky, he hasn't been able to save Sky. The feeling of failure threatened to consume him, causing him to choke monetarily, a mad grin beginning to grow on his face.

How dare they? How dare they steal Sky? Steal **his** Sky. Sky belonged to Deadlox and no one else. When Deadlox found the bacca responsible for taking Sky, hurting Sky in a way that caused his human to begin bleeding, the things Deadlox would do to them could only be imagined in someone's worst nightmares. There would be blood, loads of it, Deadlox would make sure of it. He'd tear off the skin on the bacca's very body, pull the hair of its head and yank that small tail Nether baccas were well known for off. He'd keep the bacca living, because he wouldn't be done with him. Deadlox didn't care what he had to do. Potions, magic, anything. He'd use it to keep the bacca alive, torture him until Deadlox was satisfied that he felt the very pain Deadlox was feeling now. The slow suffocating feeling in his lungs, the painful clenching in his heart, his panicked heavy breathing, the familiar feeling of his sanity being ripped away from him.

The sanity that being with Sky had granted him, that very sanity was slipping away as broken chuckles left his hunched body. He felt his shoulders began shaking as he fell to his knees, a clawed hand touching the drops of red staining the floor. The metallic scent of blood surrounded him, Sky's blood. His hair fell over his eyes, his body wracked with shivers as the shaking persisted. Laughs left his agape mouth, bloody drool hitting the floor with a wet noise. His arms crossed over his chest, claws digging into his chest, trying desperately to prince himself back together, already knowing one of his episodes was coming, was already happening. One of the episodes Deadlox hadn't had since Sky had come to his life. Blood dropped onto the floor, white fangs and teeth caked in dark red as maniac chuckles resounded around the room.

Oh yes, the bacca would certainly regret taking Deadlox's Sky from him, especially when the king managed to get his claws into the bacca's writhing body. Deadlox could already imagine it as he shakily stood.

His tail swished behind him as he made his way to the large doors, already hearing his servants and guards gathering near his chambers. He could practically taste their misery at the sound of his familiar insanity filled laughing. Deadlox didn't care. He didn't have Sky with him, why should he care about anything else? Without Sky, Deadlox was nothing. He was nothing more than a husk of a man, a husk of a human with nothing more than a brilliant mind and insane tendencies. Back to how he was before the treaty he had made with Squid, the treaty that had brought Sky to him.

He slammed the large oak doors open, eyes wide and mildly crazed as he took in the sight of his bowing servants and guards. He relished in the smell of fear filling the air, the smell having been gone since the fateful arrival of the human that had brought the king sanity, if only temporary.

"My human has been taken from me," Deadlox began, a cackle ending the sentence as the smell of fear was immediately replaced with fury. Sky had made quite an impression on Deadlox's people it seemed. "A Nether bacca's scent is in my room, and, and the funniest thing, ready for it?" Deadlox giggled, eyes opening wider as he watched the people in front of him tense, a few more guards slipping into the corridor, news traveling fast as more servants appeared.

"Blood," Deadlox whispered out, watched eyes flash in animosity, "blood. Can you believe it? **Sky's** blood. Silly bacca hurt my Sky, he's in trouble," Deadlox steeled himself, all previous emotion leaving him as he narrowed his eyes, "big trouble."

_Haha, I was gonna do this thing where someone guessed what was gonna happen next and the winner would get the next chapter ahead of everyone else (just snippets of whatever I write throughout the weeks and such) along with a oneshot but I figured no one would want to do it so, meh xP too bad_


	16. Chapter 16

_Blah. New chapter. Mostly merome and some Jerome having daddy instincts over little cub Sky. Sorry for the wait. Enjoy?_

* * *

He ached. Not the normal ache that he had grown used to over the years of being forced to sleep in a damp and terribly freezing cold cell, but an even worse ache that had him trembling and fighting for breath as his chest seized. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't move, he couldn't do anything. It hurt. It hurt in every sense of the word. It hurt in his tired bones, it hurt in his tender eyes, so unused to the light of glow stone after days upon days spent in the dark. He could deal with the cold, the faint sickness he always carried, the coughs that wrecked his too thin body, the lack of food and the lack of warmth. It was cool. He could deal with it, he'd grown used to it. What he couldn't deal with was most definitely the fact that his only comfort left in this world was gone. Gone were the soft snores he'd grown used to hearing at night and those snarls that kept the guards from hurting him, gone were those comforting words he'd treasured with everything in him -it's okay, biggums, you're okay. I'll protect you, I'll get you out of here one day. We'll escape and we'll be happy, just hang on. Be strong- and gone was that ever present presence of his beloved. That he could not deal with, he couldn't.

Jerome was the single ray of light in his dark and bleak and miserable existence. He didn't have anyone other than his nether bacca. His family was dead, died when Mitch was barely a teenager, and the human never really had many friends in the first place. He'd cut off all ties the day he woke up in a too quiet house only to find his family had left him. Left him in the sense of lips too blue and skin too pale. Left him in the sense that even when he tried to wake them up, eyes bleary with tears as he choked down panicked sobs, they stayed asleep. They left him behind in a too cruel world all by himself. They slept on peacefully even when Mitch had stopped screaming, even when Mitch left them, left them in too cold beds in a too quiet house.

He hadn't wanted to get attached ever again after that. Not after having his family ripped from him by the hands of death. Not after shaking his beautiful older sister, his sister who had always taken care of him and his younger sister when their father was out hunting for their food and his mother was too tired to move from the bed, and she hadn't moved. Not after his still younger sister wouldn't wake up, even after he promised he'd dress up with her and have multitudes of tea parties with her. Not after his father, gruff and quiet, who always gave him piggy backs hadn't answered his calls -you promised you'd teach me to hunt! To hunt for momma and my sisters!-. Not after his mother, his sweet mother who had always been sickly, who even when she was tired, would sing him sweet lullabies and play with his hair, not even she had responded.

They'd died of a sickness, he didn't care which one, it wasn't like knowing would bring them back or anything. It had been a harsh winter and his father hadn't been able to find much food. His older sister had been giving her share of food to him and his younger sister, he'd watched in guilty horror as she'd slowly been reduced to bones. His mom had gotten worse as the cold got to her and his father had spent days worrying after his mother instead of hunting. His younger sister had cried herself to sleep, her stomach rumbling even after he gave her his own share of food along with their older sister's.

He'll never understand why he was the only one to survive that winter. Never understand why his family left him, never understand why he couldn't have died instead of them, or at least died with them.

He'd left the house he'd grown up in, easily learning how to build a small shelter and how to hunt for hisself. He'd learned to mine and to stay away from all the mobs. He'd learned many things by hisself, things his father should've been there to teach him. He'd learned and he'd survived. He joined his first Hunger Games when he was thirteen. The prize money had interested him, an assortment of diamonds, iron and gold, and he had signed up without giving it much thought. So what if he died, in the Games, he'd respawn almost immediately after your death. His family had never approved of the Games, they'd thought it was vulgar and primitive, the thought of Minecraftians fighting to the death in an arena for the enjoyment of others had sickened them. But he'd always been tempted by the idea of fighting, of the adrenaline rush of finding enough weapons and armor to survive only to fight the survivors in a death match. It had thrilled him and even if he lost his first Games, he kept signing up for them and he kept fighting and training and learning.

It was when he was sixteen that he met him. He'd won a fair amount of games by then, gotten a bit of a name for hisself by then. He'd expected it to be just an ordinary Games, he would give it his best shot and then if he won, he won, and if he lost, he lost. He'd gotten addicted to the adrenaline, the suspense, the action and the idea of hunting and being hunted. It was exciting in a way he couldn't describe, only one could win, only one would be victorious and claim the spoils while the losers respawned and gained nothing but sore muscles for a few days.

He'd seen plenty of humans join the Games before, even a few amphibians, baccas and other such creatures that resided in the Overland, but never had he seen a creature from the nether. A nether bacca. He'd expected a hairy animal, much like Overland Baccas were. He did not expect something with the visage to a human. A tall, muscular human with hair that was more fur than anything and a fluffy tail with dangerous claws and long fangs. Shirtless too, the bastard had been shirtless when he first met him in the lobby, all bulging muscles and healed over scars with an aura of dominance that had him squirming and a little hot underneath the collar. His eyes, god he didn't even seem to have a pupil they were so black, had glinted in such a way that left you breathless. His ears, pointy and elf like, had twitched and he'd sent you a grin, all pointy teeth and hidden promise, that had Mitch basically swooning.

Of course, after the Games, it was only logical that he invited himself to the human's home, which had grown into a full blown tree house, and he'd just about encouraged the other to come inside. It was kind of skeevy thinking about it, but the minute he even hinted at something intimate, Mitch had pounced him. It wasn't his fault that the way Jerome's muscles flexed while fighting had gotten Mitch all hot and bothered, it should be illegal for the bacca to wield such a heavy weapon like an axe and make it look effortless with his perfect arms and perfect chest and perfect everything really. Mitch hadn't even protested when the bacca's clawed hand had slipped into his pants or when the other left an alarmingly large amount of hickeys across his chest and neck or when there were no clothes separating the two of them and it was all a blur of sweat slicked bodies and deep grunts that made his breathing hard. Mitch didn't want to think about how he'd bent him over, made Mitch beg and writhe under his touch because he teased and teased and teased and god, why did he love such a cocktease like his bacca? Seriously.

He'd licked Mitch and he should've been grossed out but it had even deliciously hot and he'd nipped at the back of his neck as he thrusted into the smaller of the two at an alarming pace and he'd barely kept up with him and Mitch had arched his back, choking on sobs as Jerome tortured him so thoroughly. Even when he came, Jerome hadn't been satisfied and neither had Mitch. He'd moved the human onto his lap and in that single night and part of the morning, he'd brought Mitch to ecstasy more times than he could willingly count without turning embarrassingly red. Jerome was a beast, it was him.

After that, well, Mitch hadn't let Jerome out of his sight. Hell, he hadn't let the bacca leave his metaphorical pants, mostly because Mitch had learned walking in the nude would get the bacca to comply to the others wishes so much faster. It hadn't been long before they made it official and only two years later they finally became mates.

Then Squid had kidnapped the two o them, had practically sent an army to grab the pair, and or seemingly no reason at all. The two had fought, managing to slaughter more than half of the army, but they were tired as they were outnumbered and they knew they were eachother's weak spot and they'd taken advantage of that, taken advantage so thoroughly of the love the two of them had for each other and used it against them.

Squid admitted he'd only grabbed the two of them on a whim, he was a sick thing, Squid was. Wanted to have Jerome and Mitch because of their fighting abilities and their 'scandalous' love affair. Mitch had spit in Squid's face when he learned that was the only reason he had kidnapped the pair and Squid had beaten the already beaten Mitch while Jerome fought in his own cage, wild with rage.

Now, now Mitch was alone. Alone in Squid's castle in a room he was meant to stay in while he waited. Waited for his mate to return. What then though? After Jerome returned? It was highly unlikely Squid would keep his end of the bargain, so why did it matter? Mitch huddled on the bed, the too soft bed and too soft sheets, feeling more vulnerable than he had in his entire existence without his mate. He wanted Jerome back, wanted to feel those strong arms wrap around him and hear those embarrassingly adorable sweet words that would spill out of Jerome's lips. -I love you, biggums, always will, always, always, always love my Mitch.-

The room is too big and the air is too cold and his face was too wet with his tears and his it was too bleary to see. His chest ached and he couldn't stop crying and he missed Jerome, missed him so much it physically hurt. He wanted Jerome back, wanted to hide in those strong arms and pretend they were the only two that existed and he'd never hurt again because Jerome would protect him. Mitch sniffled, burying his face into his arms. He missed Jerome, he missed his bacca.

* * *

The body of the human slung over his shoulder was deadweight. Jerome buried his guilt as he continued making his way to the portal he'd left a good ways away from the king's palace. He made sure to leave absolutely no trace as he ran onwards. The king would still be able to follow the trail, but hopefully he would take long enough for Jerome to dump the human off with Squid, grab Mitch and make it out of the Squid's palace when the demon king destroyed the place.

The human didn't so much as stir and Jerome bit his lip with a mixture of guilt and worry. Why couldn't the human be covered in blood and bruises? Why couldn't he have been shackled and chained and abused? Sure, it wasn't something Jerome particularly would have wished on anyone, but anything would have alleviated the immense amount of guilt he felt. The kid had been fucking sleeping on the king's bed, fully clothed and healthy and comfortable and so at home looking that Jerome felt awful for having to do this. The little human was so young, younger and smaller than Mitch. Tiny and vulnerable and precious. He could understand why the king hadn't hurt the little human. Something like this human should be treasured and protected. Not hurt or stolen or kidnapped.

Jerome felt like the scum of the earth, especially when the smell of blood hit his nose. Oh, oh, the poor kid. Jerome wanted to curl his arms around the small kid, cradle the little human and hush him and promise him everything would be okay. He wanted to protect the small kid, wanted to nuzzle his face against the human, rub his scent against soft human flesh so that no other demon would hurt the small bundle that was this kid. He was like a cub, a cub that Jerome felt the strong need to shield from the horrors of the world. In any other circumstance, Jerome would've outright adopted the small kid into his little family.

Notch. Jerome cursed, shaking his head. No. Fuck life, fuck everything, fuck Squid, fuck this stupid task, fuck the kid for looking so vulnerable and fuck his goddamn instincts. This kid was a human, not a cub, he needed to stop thinking about him like that.

Crossing through the portal was quick and easy, Jerome broke the portal once he was done, making sure the king would have to work damn fucking hard to get the cub back. There was still a days travel to Squid's palace, Jerome was dreading the fact that he'd have to speak to the cub, Notch his guilt would only grow. Maybe the cub would stay knocked out for the next day or so?

A groan came from the bundle over his shoulder and Jerome cursed Squid to hell and back.


End file.
